Bengals President Mike Brown refused to confirm options the Bengals are considering Wednesday as another day passed without a city-county agreement on riverfront development, including a city transfer of 12.5 acres of land to Hamilton County to build the Bengals' stadium.
''We're aware there are options, but we haven't faced up to them yet,'' Mr. Brown said. ''We're still hopeful we can put together a deal here. If there is no deal, I don't know what I would say and when.''
But Cleveland fits a Bengals' franchise founded by the same coach who began the Browns, Paul Brown, Mike's father.
John Moag, chairman of the Maryland Stadium Authority that runs facilities for the Orioles and Ravens, visited with Mike Brown at last week's Super Bowl.
Despite Cleveland Mayor Michael White's repudiation of the Bengals and NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue's call for expansion in Cleveland, Mr. Moag said the league's 30 owners would allow the Bengals to go to Cleveland.
''Cleveland is a very real viable option for Mike and I don't think the league would oppose it,'' said Mr. Moag, who three years ago spoke to Mr. Brown about moving the Bengals to Baltimore before securing the Cleveland franchise. ''That's a given.
Mr. Moag pointed to the NFL's new $17.8 billion TV deal.
''The owners aren't real excited about expansion. You want to split the pot as little as possible. In the past, Mike has talked about Cleveland, but he hasn't talked about it to me lately. He was frustrated. He thought he had a deal.''
Mr. Brown said Cleveland hasn't been discussed. And he isn't talking about any of his other options, which also include:
- Letting the deadline pass without exercising the Bengals' right to kill the deal.
- Making arrangements with the county to build the stadium outside city limits.
- Selling the team to an owner from another city.
Mr. Brown indicated there are no plans to opt for a new location or selling the team. He said he thinks he must act by Jan. 31.
''If you go past that deadline, the delay penalties are just exorbitant,'' said Mr. Brown, referring to the $4 million per game penalty starting with games missed in the 2000 season. ''No one wants to go through that and I would think the city wouldn't want that either.''
A deal seemed as elusive as ever late Wedesday, but Hamilton County Administrator David Krings said there was progress after another marathon meeting with Cincinnati City Manager John Shirey broke up at 11:30 p.m.
''I wouldn't be working so hard if we weren't making progress,'' said Mr. Krings, who said the sides are to meet this afternoon.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Brown spoke with Joseph A. Pichler, chairman and chief executive officer of the Kroger Co. and chairman of the Cincinnati Business Committee. Mr. Pichler couldn't be reached for comment and Mr. Brown wouldn't confirm the meeting.
Mr. Shirey assured city council that he's working diligently to reach agreement with the county. But the team, he said, is part of what's hanging up the deal.
''We continue to have issues and problems being raised by the Bengals, which do not help,'' Mr. Shirey told council. ''I wish that would stop so we might be able to resolve the real transaction - principally a transaction between the city and the county.''
Mr. Shirey said after the council meeting that the team's concerns pertain to control of the riverfront and revenues.
The team insists it has made considerable concessions to address the city's concerns. A summary prepared by the team, in fact, lists 11 city concerns and how the Bengals addressed them.
''That's been a constant theme,'' Mr. Brown said. ''That's never been anything but a smoke screen. We haven't raised a new issue in six months and he knows that. I don't have a clue what he's talking about.''
If a deal is reached by week's end, Mayor Roxanne Qualls said council will hold a special meeting to vote on it.
County leaders also want an agreement by Friday, or they say tentative deals will collapse that the county has made with produce vendors and a railroad that have leased the city-controlled land.
