Ohio Lawsuit Looks To Prevent Crew from Leaving Columbus

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and the city of Columbus yesterday filed a lawsuit against Crew Chair Anthony Precourt and MLS in an "attempt to keep them from ditching Columbus in favor of Austin." The lawsuit, filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, invokes a '96 law enacted after Art Modell moved the Browns to Baltimore. The law states that "no professional team that gets public assistance or uses public facilities can leave town without giving six months’ notice and providing locals an opportunity to buy the team." MLS and Precourt Sports Ventures in a joint statement said both “will make an additional statement" today "following a review of the complaint" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 3/6).