The turf at FirstEnergy Stadium, home of the Cleveland Browns, was vandalized early Tuesday by a golf cart driver.
The Cleveland Police Department said it appears that an intruder broke into the stadium by hopping a fence and then drove one of the team’s golf carts on the turf, leaving deep tire tread marks.
“We are aware of the incident that occurred early Tuesday morning at FirstEnergy Stadium and have provided the Cleveland Division of Police with all relevant information,” the Cleveland Browns said in a statement.
The team called the damage “superficial” and said groundskeepers are expected to repair the damage by Sunday, before the Browns take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“We take great pride in the strong reviews and reputation of our stadium’s playing surface, have been in touch with the NFL on the matter and are confident after repair our field will be ready for Sunday’s game vs. the Tampa Buccaneers,” the statement added.
A groundskeeping expert not affiliated with the Browns told Cleveland’s ABC affiliate News 5 that it will be a “uniquely challenging repair job” because of the short deadline.
