BY LUCY MAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Although the new Bengals stadium will be named for Paul Brown, the lease with Hamilton County leaves the team the option to sell naming rights and keep all the money up to $16.67 million.

But Troy Blackburn, the team's director of stadium development, said Friday the team has no plans to sell such rights.

"I don't think anybody anticipates that would ever be exercised," Mr. Blackburn said of the lease's naming-rights clause.

Even so, he said, naming rights are an asset like anything else, and the lease is designed to explain who is entitled to all assets. While the nearly 100-page lease agreement explains pretty clearly what the team gets out of its deal with the county, it doesn't explain too clearly the team's contribution.

Mr. Blackburn explained the team's $50 million contribution this way: $5 million from Cinergy Field revenues; $26 million from the sale of Charter Ownership Agreements (COAs) through Aug. 1, 2000; $4 million to $5 million from the 25-cent ticket surtax over the life of the lease; and $11.7 million in rent.

Those numbers don't add up to $50 million, but the team expects additional COA sales could net up to $5 million more for the county, Mr. Blackburn said.

NEXT HURDLE: BUYING THE LAND

Lease signed

WELCOME TO PAUL BROWN STADIUM May 30, 1997

NEXT GENERATION OF BROWNS MAKE THE DEAL May 30, 1997

Previous stories

It's goal to go for stadium May 29, 1997
Details remain before construction begins May 29, 1997
Stadium victory at hand May 26, 1997
Terms of the deal May 26, 1997
Regional effort fills seats May 25, 1997
Bengals reach sales goal May 24, 1997
Hold on: Shirey wants to boost admissions tax May 24, 1997
Brown, county race deadline May 21, 1997
NFL committee OK's lease May 20, 1997
Ticket tax increase gains steam May 20, 1997
Stadium team tries to trim $48M May 6, 1997
Bengals ask lease by May 20 April 30, 1997
Stadium redesign well received April 25, 1997
Bengals leery of Wedge April 9, 1997
Stadium price tag growing April 3,1997
Stadium gaining ground? April 2,1997
Bengals won't sign till tax dies March 25,1997
Mike Brown's 'Letter to the Editor' March 25, 1997
Bengals balk at tax plan March 24,1997
Bengals want county blitz on seat licenses March 21,1997
City balks at size of stadium March 15,1997
Seat sales on target for team to stay Feb. 19,1997
'The Jungle' moving to Central Ave. Feb. 14, 1997
Stadium site to be announced this week Published Feb. 9, 1997
Seat license sales pass $20M goal Published Feb. 7, 1997
Consultants favor Riverfront West Published Dec. 20, 1996
Seat licenses $300 to $1,500 Published Dec. 18, 1996
Rules, procedure for buying seat licenses Published Dec. 18, 1996
Designs draw oohs and ahhs Published Dec. 17, 1996
Architect's drawings revealed Published Dec. 8, 1996
Site selection is a decision of a lifetime Published Dec. 2, 1996