Stadium deal nearly collapsed at last minute, with Bengals seeking to extend current lease

Hamilton County Commissioners approved their preferred version of a new lease agreement for Paycor Stadium on July 31, hoping the Bengals would sign on, despite the team's reservations about parking spaces.

Instead, after that meeting, the team hand-delivered a letter to County Administrator Jeff Aluotto. The letter, signed by Bengals Vice President Troy Blackburn, said the team wanted to use their option to extend the 1997 lease by two years.

The lease signed in 1997 has long been criticized by taxpayers and used as an example in sports economics of a local government giving too much control to a professional sports team. Hamilton County Commission President Denise Driehaus has previously said the county wanted to negotiate a new lease largely to avoid another 10 years of the Bengals extending the 1997 lease.

The Enquirer reached out to the team's spokesperson, who referred questions to the team's attorney for the negotiations Aaron Herzig. He did not immediately return calls.

Bengals demanded county pay for new suites, reimburse team for other projects

Blackburn's letter also demanded the county pay to install six field-level suites in the stadium, estimated to cost $50 million.

Blackburn further wrote that the county would also need to reimburse the Bengals for two enhancement projects the team had paid for:

• The installation of self-checkout concessions which cost over $1.6 million.
• LED video boards which cost over $4 million.

Blackburn said the county was responsible for the projects under the enhancement provision in the 1997 lease, which the Hamilton County officials negotiated to remove in the new lease, signed on Aug. 1.

Blackburn requested payment for the completed projects within 10 days of the county receiving the letter,

Driehaus said the Bengals rescinded the extension option after sending it and the team decided to continue negotiations late into the night of July 31 and into the morning of Aug. 1. Bengals executives then signed a new lease agreement, which Hamilton County Commissioners voted to approve at a special meeting on Aug. 1.

Regional politics reporter Erin Glynn can be reached at [email protected], @ee_glynn on X or @eringlynn on Bluesky.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Paycor stadium lease: Bengals extended 1997 lease before walking back