The Cleveland Browns have always had a home in downtown Cleveland, but with Thursday’s news, the franchise will move outside the center of the city for the first time in the team’s history.

The Ohio budget bookmarked $600 million in for the construction of a new stadium in Brook Park, a short drive out of downtown Cleveland near the airport.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine proposed a plan to double the sports betting tax to help fund sports facility upgrades throughout the state, but the Legislature elected to use some of Ohio’s unclaimed funds instead.

On Friday, 92.3 The Fan’s Daryl Ruiter reported that Haslam Sports Group closed on the purchase of 176 acres of land in Brook Park. The goal is to have the new stadium open in time for the 2029 NFL season.

Personally, the thought of the state spending millions of public dollars on a billionaire’s stadium is a ridiculous idea. But that becomes even more questionable when considering it’s going to Browns owner Jimmy Haslam.

Just before the stadium saga began a couple years ago, Haslam purchased a 25% share of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Haslam spent $800 million to acquire his share of Bucks.

Throw in over $13 billion that Berkshire Hathaway spent to purchase Pilot Corporation from Haslam from 2017-24, and the Browns’ owner has money to burn.

Haslam is marketing this new dome stadium in Brook Park as a resource for the economic development of northeast Ohio, specifically Cuyahoga County. Other than eight or nine Browns games a year, he plans to expand the property to include restaurants, hotels and other amenities. He’s said the site could draw large-scale gatherings and concerts, and potentially a Super Bowl in the future.

There’s nothing wrong with ambition — lord knows some more business owners and cities in Ohio should aim to add more large economic drivers to their respective areas — but it’s Jimmy Haslam.

While he’s made billions of dollars over the years, he hasn’t shown to be a solid business leader or NFL owner.

Several years after purchasing the Browns in 2012, he was deposed after Pilot reached an $85 million settlement for defrauding trucking companies. Pilot was also forced to pay $92 million in federal penalties.

In Berea, the Browns took a public relations hit after Haslam and the new front office changed the uniforms, which have slowly reverted back to their original look.

And finally, on the field, the Browns have been a disaster under Haslam. They’ve posted a 68-127-1 record, good for a .349 win percentage. The Browns have also only reached the playoffs twice during his ownership, and the current stadium has yet to host a playoff game since opening in 1999.

Rarely does the owner of an American professional sports franchise pay 100% of the cost for the construction of a stadium. But paying roughly a third of the $2 billion estimated cost for Halsam is ludicrous.

Cleveland’s local political leaders should also take some blame in the team leaving the city.

Should Cleveland have shipped hundreds of millions to Haslam for the stadium? No, but there should have been a better partnership in the years leading up to this week’s news.

There are concerns over the future of downtown Cleveland.

How will the fall quarter look in 2029 with the Browns in the suburbs? What’s the plan for the lake front in the future? Will there be another major employer or two the likes of Sherwin-Williams, who constructed a new building in downtown Cleveland, that will move into the vacant area?

Only time will tell if this is a positive for Cleveland and northeast Ohio. It’s up to Cleveland and the state’s leadership to come up with a solid plan.

Haslam got what he wanted, a big shiny domed cathedral. And since he owns all the land, he’ll also profit off of all the businesses that potentially open around the stadium.

Now, he has to follow through on his promises of employment and creative entertainment.

And while you’re at it, Jimmy, maybe put together a team that contends for the playoffs more than once or twice a decade.

Dan Hiner is the sports editor for The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle. You can reach him via email at dhiner@tribtoday.com.