CLEVELAND COUNCIL APPROVES NFL DEAL WITH FEW MAJOR CHANGES

     By a 13-8 vote on Friday, the Cleveland City Council
approved an amended deal with the NFL to return football to that
city in '99.  According to the Akron BEACON JOURNAL, the Council
added several provisions, including $250,000 in annual rent from
a future owner, a 45-day review of other potential stadium sites,
and financial protections for the city.  The Council backed off
earlier desires to have veto power over the new owner and to
block the sale of PSLs.  While Cleveland Mayor Michael White
hailed the agreement and Cleveland as "the one community in this
country that stood up to a professional sports league," other
Council members questioned why the "silver bullet" of legally
enforcing the city's lease with Art Modell was not used to gain
more leverage over the league.  In addition to other amendments,
the city has the right to "reasonably" object to the naming
rights (Arnie Rosenberg, Akron BEACON JOURNAL, 3/9).