Cincinnati – The Bengals of Cincinnati have publicly raised questions concerning a key player in the discussion of the team stadium with the county of Hamilton and its connection with the Browns of Cleveland.
Bengals said in a statement that David Abrams, which the county had hired as a consultant to help rent negotiations with Bengals, also provides Browns services. Without making any direct complaints, Cincinnati raised questions about the question of whether Abrams could be compromised in his negotiations with Bengals.
“The team expressed their concern for the county that a stadium consultant offering services for Cleveland Browns may not have the best interests in Cincinnati,” the Bengals said in their press release.
Abrams is employed by Inner Circle Sports, who refused to comment when he was reached Thursday by ESPN. The county of Hamilton published his own declaration denying the affirmation of the Bengals, but recognized a link between the sports of the inner circle and the Browns.
“Mr. Abrams has no involvement with the Browns, their stadium project and / or related questions,” said the county. “This was explained to the team and they have already received the contract and the scope of the work of Abrams, which does not include any state lobbying.”
The county said that a different person worked for the Browns as an entrepreneur to Inner Circle Sports and that the third party group “has not received or shared proprietary information involving Bengals or the Comté”.
Bengals have until June 30 to exercise the first of the five two -year options which extend their agreement with the county of Hamilton on the Paycor stadium. If the option is not picked up, the cincinnati lease on its current stadium will end after the 2025 season.
Bengals and Browns seek to obtain investments from the Ohio State for their respective stages.
The Browns are considering a mixed complex in the nearby Brook park which would cost about $ 3 billion, with at least $ 1.2 billion from this total from private funding. On Tuesday, the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell went to Columbus and met Ohio Capitol legislators to discuss the Browns proposal.
The Bengals and the county of Hamilton worked towards a renovation of the stadium of $ 830 million as part of a framework approved by the Council of Comté commissioners at the end of April. The framework allocated $ 210 million, with $ 120 million from the team, for the first phase of a three -phase process. However, this could dissolve if the two parties do not reach a long -term extension on the lease before June 30.
The county of Hamilton and the Bengals seemed to make progress towards an agreement. However, Thursday, the county dismissed the law firm Frost Brown Todd and the lawyer Tom Gabelman, who had worked with the county dating from 1997 on project negotiations. In a statement provided in ESPN, Gabelman said that the discussions were “considerably advanced” on a long -term agreement to maintain Bengals at the Paycor stadium before the county change to the Dinsmore law firm.
The county of Hamilton contracted Abrams in October 2023 to help his negotiations with Bengals. According to its organic Inner Circle Sports, Abrams advised stadium financing projects in Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Jacksonville and Nashville.
In addition to the denial of the county of Hamilton that Abrams is involved in the Browns, a familiar source with the respective negotiations of Cleveland corroborated this on Thursday.
However, Bengals claim that Abrams could have a conflict of interest.
“The county can decide how he wants to continue, but the team deemed appropriate to share concerns as to whether the parties involved in discussions operated exclusively to advance local interests – or if other conflicts could exist,” said Bengals.
Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN contributed to this report.
