Courtesy of Hamilton County doing due diligence, a new stadium for the Cincinnati Bengals isn’t out of the question ahead of the lease’s expiration in 2026.
But the Bengals have been adamant they plan to continue upgrading Paycor Stadium as opposed to building a new one.
That line of thought is something echoed in comments from Aaron Herzig, an attorney for the Bengals from Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, who spoke on the topic with Chris Wetterich of the Cincinnati Business Courier.
“We’re not asking for a new stadium, and we don’t think a new stadium needs to be part of the conversation. We don’t need a dome,” Herzig said. “We don’t think those make sense here. We need meaningful investment in (Paycor Stadium) starting now. That will save money in the long run. We think the reasonable approach is to upgrade and maintain Paycor Stadium.”
The county continues to be adamant that any upgrades to Paycor Stadium also benefit increased public usage for non-Bengals activities, given the taxpayer investment.
For their part, the Bengals have backed the idea of upgrades up with action, spending $5 million on those last year, another $20 million this year and $10 million more on the indoor practice facility.
While master plans due in December will likely include options like estimates on a new stadium and a roof for the existing one, the Bengals remain adamant neither is necessary as long as modernizing upgrades continue.
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