PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE NFL : New Law Would Cost Browns

U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine formally introduced legislation that, if passed, could add about $35 million to the price Maryland must pay to lure the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore.

DeWine, R-Ohio, said the “Team Relocation Taxpayer Protection Act” was aimed at preventing the use of federal funds, federal subsidies or federally tax-exempt financing to help an existing franchise break its lease.

“I can see no moral justification for taxpayers--the people of Cleveland or anywhere else--to reward a sports team with public money to assist that team in breaking its word and deserting the community,” DeWine said.

“Whether you live in Cleveland, Ohio, or Los Angeles, California, the federal government is reaching into your pocket to pay for this move. I believe taxpayers will be shocked to learn this--and they should be.”

The bill, as proposed, is retroactive to Jan. 1, 1995, and would therefore affect the Browns’ deal with Baltimore.

*

Steve DeBerg, the quarterback coach for the New York Giants, was arraigned on a charge of drunk driving after going the wrong way on a one-way street in midtown Manhattan.

DeBerg, who lives in New Jersey, told police after he was stopped at 1:50 a.m. Friday on West 39th Street that he was looking for the nearby Lincoln Tunnel entrance.