CLEVELAND — Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb said his administration “fought like hell” to strike a $100 million exit deal with the Browns.

The mayor and his team defended that deal during a marathon City Council committee meeting Monday – the first public hearing about an agreement that would end court battles between the city and Haslam Sports Group over the team’s plans for a new, enclosed stadium in Brook Park.

The Bibb administration is asking council to approve aspects of the settlement, with hopes of finalizing the deal by Nov. 24 and getting an initial, $25 million payment by Dec. 1.

“We’ve all fought really hard ... and now we’re talking about what the next chapter of the Cleveland story’s gonna be,” Bibb told council members.

The deal calls for Haslam Sports Group to give Clevelan

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