No one may have ever been worse at running a professional football team than Jimmy and Dee Haslam. But no one may have ever been better than them at convincing elected officials to act in ways that betray their constituents.

Money always trumps logic in Columbus, so the Haslams used large campaign contributions to convince the legislature and governor they deserve $600 million to abandon a city the Browns have called home for 75 years. State government’s massive use of taxpayer funds to help finance a covered stadium for the Haslams in Brook Park amounted to an epic betrayal of downtown Cleveland.

There will come a time, perhaps 10 years from now, when the new stadium begins to steal concerts and other events from downtown Cleveland. And that is when the legacies of every single person w

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