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To: RJC2006 who wrote (595)	7/28/1998 10:48:00 PM
From: ron forgus	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1206

Price of the Browns: Money or merit? " Malcom Glazer" One NFL owner says a billion dollars will talk, but others say quality factors will matter BY TERRY PLUTO Beacon Journal sports columnist DALLAS: A billion dollars for the new Cleveland Browns? That's what at least one NFL owner believes the team is worth. And Malcolm Glazer, owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, isn't afraid to say it. At least five times in his interview with the media at the NFL meetings yesterday, Glazer said the Browns ''would go to the highest bidder.'' He also said the team was ''worth at least a billion dollars.'' Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones refused to put a dollar figure on the expansion Browns, but it's obvious he has dollar signs in his eyes. ''The Minnesota Vikings were recently sold for $300 million,'' Jones said, adding that the Browns' stadium lease is worth $70 million a year more than Minnesota's. Jones said that under the NFL's TV contract, ''The Browns also will receive $1 billion in the next 10 years. You do the math.'' It must be emphasized that Glazer and Jones are just two of the 30 NFL owners who eventually will be asked to vote on the next owner of the Browns -- but they also have very strong opinions about what the team is worth and won't be shy about sharing their thoughts with their fellow owners. Glazer even stated that Goldman and Sachs -- the accounting firm hired by the NFL to study the financial records of the respective owners -- is recruiting new ownership candidates. ''Anyone who can hear my voice can call Goldman and Sachs in New York and you can become an NFL owner,'' said Glazer, whose team will play in a new, taxpayer-funded $168.5 million stadium this season. But the free stadium wasn't his only windfall in the last year. Raymond James Financial Inc. agreed to a $39 million, 13-year deal for naming rights to the new facility. It is believed to be the highest-priced deal of its kind in sports. Of course, money is the name of the game. NFL owners want the highest price for the Browns because it will mean more money for each of them. For example, if the team is sold for $1 billion, each owner would receive $34 million. If the price is $500 million -- the cut drops to about $17 million. That's a big difference, and some of the owners clearly want all the cash they can squeeze out of Cleveland. ''The team is going to the highest bidder,'' insisted Glazer. But what about local ownership? Minority ownership? The NFL will supposedly consider those factors. ''I don't think that has anything to do with it,'' said Glazer. ''It has to do with the highest bid.'' Why so much for the Browns? Jones and Glazer talked about the ''state-of-the-art stadium,'' being built for the team at taxpayer expense. They talked about the team's playing there virtually rent free, while reaping all types of revenue -- concessions, parking and luxury suites -- according to terms of the lease. Jones considers it the best deal in the NFL. Trying to temper the gold rush of his fellow owners, Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown refused to place a price on the team. What about the $1 billion mentioned by Glazer? ''That's his opinion,'' said Brown. Should the Browns go to the highest bidder? ''Not in my mind,'' said Brown. ''I'd like to see the owner be the best man for the team over the long haul. In my mind, it doesn't have to be the highest bidder.'' Meanwhile, some of the men bidding for the Browns were either amused or stunned by Glazers comments. ''A billion dollars?'' repeated Howard Milstein. ''Well, Malcolm has dropped his price a bit. At the last NFL meetings, he wanted $1.5 billion for the team.'' Milstein is making a strong bid for the Browns. His group includes former Browns players Paul Warfield and Calvin Hill along with seven Cleveland civic and corporate leaders. ''I just know that a full and fair price will be paid,'' he said. Bart Wolstein is also bidding for the team. His comment? ''No comment, other than ($1 billion) makes no sense.'' A third bidder is Tom Murdough, owner of Twinsburg's Step2 toy company. ''A billion dollars?'' he said. ''I don't think that's going to be the price -- at least I hope not.''