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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Dee and Jimmy Haslam, owners of the Cleveland Browns, said Friday that they were part of a group seeking to buy the Columbus Crew to keep the MLS team in the city.
The group, which also includes investors from the Columbus area, said in a statement that it was preparing to acquire the team, which went to Austin, Texas after this season . A new stadium in downtown Columbus is part of the plan, although no details have been provided.
The agreement also provides that Austin, whose city council approved plans for a new private stadium of 20,000 seats, will receive an MLS expansion team by 2021 at the latest. .
"MLS is determined to keep Crew SC in Columbus if we continue to progress on these critical components and accept key terms with the investor group," the league said in a statement.
Anthony Precourt, the San Francisco-based investor and owner of the Crew, had courted Austin for a potential move since last year, saying the team was no longer financially viable in Columbus without a larger crowd and a new stadium. Precourt and Richard Suttle, the Austin lobbyist who helped negotiate the terms of a stadium deal in the area, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday.
In Columbus, this announcement sparked crazy celebrations among Crew fans, who had been working to save the team since Precourt released its plans last year.
"It's really a historic moment," said David Miller, spokesperson for the Save the Crew group. "Over the past year, we have proven that a community of committed people has the power to make a big difference."
Everyone involved acknowledged that there were still a lot of details to be solved. According to the league's statement, the crew's success in Columbus will require "strong local partners, long-term support from the company, a season ticket base and long-term plans for a stadium." , training facilities and associated sites.
MLS has expressed its commitment to expand to Austin by stating that "whatever the scenario in Columbus, there is a clear path for (Precourt) to operate Austin FC as a Major League football club. "
Austin is the largest metropolitan area in the country without a franchise in major sports leagues.
"What a wonderful win / win / win solution!" Said Austin Mayor Steve Adler. "MLS commissioner and Anthony Precourt both reaffirm that Austin will play in the major football league for the opening of the 2021 season in the new McKalla stadium."
Officials from Ohio and Columbus had sued Precourt and MLS to stop or slow the move. Ohio law requires teams that use tax-funded facilities and accept state financial assistance to give six months' notice and give local investors a chance to buy the team. The law was promulgated after the NFL Cleveland Brown moved to Baltimore in 1996.
The Haslams, owners of the Browns since 2012, are still looking for success on the field in Cleveland. Their presence in Cleveland has included many changes to coaches and wickets, the Browns being one of the worst teams in the league for several years.
Cleveland is just the second franchise to lose last season's 16 games, when the Haslam again swept most of their management team, but kept their coach Hue Jackson despite his 1-31 record in two seasons. They have hired former Kansas City general manager John Dorsey to hire the staff, and the Browns have already seen a major improvement this season.
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AP Sports editors Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, and Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, disseminated, rewritten or redistributed.
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