Ohio lawmakers call for removal of FirstEnergy name on Cleveland football stadium

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Two state representatives for Ohio are calling for the removal of the FirstEnergy name on Cleveland’s football stadium.

In a letter sent Thursday, Jeffrey Crossman (OH-15) and Kent Smith (OH-8) asked the city of Cleveland and the Browns’ owners to strip FirstEnergy Stadium of its ties with the Akron-based utility company.

The call for a name change comes as FirstEnergy manages the fallout of the House Bill 6 corruption scandal.

“Over the past year, we have all learned about FirstEnergy Corp.’s participations in the 2019 bribery scheme that resulted in FirstEnergy receiving millions of dollars in ill-gotten corporate subsidies funded by taxpayers,” the lawmakers wrote.

Crossman and Smith said FirstEnergy Stadium should be renamed the “original and rightful name” of Cleveland Browns Stadium.

“We do not think FirstEnergy should have the honor and privilege to have its name attached to our City, our football team and certainly not our taxpayer funded stadium,” the pair said in the letter.

The state representatives are joined by several members of the public in calling for a name change.

FirstEnergy Corp. purchased the naming rights of Cleveland’s football stadium in 2013 as part of a 17-year deal.

Copyright 2021 WOIO. All rights reserved.