CINCINNATI — Hamilton County officials have hired a national expert on stadium deals to help negotiate a new stadium lease with the Cincinnati Bengals.
David Abrams, of New York-based Inner Circle Sports, has brokered major league sports construction deals across the nation and advised on the funding for NFL stadium projects in Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville and Nashville.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich said Abrams will join the county’s Bengals negotiating team as a consultant.
“He’s well versed in … what the best practices are, and he’ll be helping the commission to navigate and determine what sorts of things should be a part of the contract,” Pillich said in an exclusive interview with the I-Team on Tuesday.
Watch our interview with Pillich here:
Abrams will work with longtime county assistant prosecutor Roger Friedmann, who Pillich said is the lead negotiator, and local attorney and consultant Tom Gabelman. Both have brokered with the Bengals for many years but with the lease set to expire in June 2026, the county decided to bring in help.
“Our lawyers and the consultants that the commissioners have hired will definitely be able to hold their own against anything that Taft law throws at us," Pillich said.
The Bengals have traditionally relied on Taft Stettinius & Hollister lawyers, most recently Stuart Dornette and Aaron Herzig, for negotiation with the county.
“We’re going to do everything we can to get the best deal for our community,” Pillich said, including potentially adding more assistant prosecutors to help Friedmann with Bengals contract negotiations.
The county's payment to Abrams is still unclear. A spokesperson from Pillich’s office said officials are still negotiating the terms of his contract. In an email response to WCPO, Abrams said he does not comment on engagements.
However, media reports from St. Peterburg, Florida, state that Abrams and Inner Circle Sports recently signed a $1.25 million contract with the city to consult on the redevelopment of Tropicana Field and negotiate with the Tampa Bay Rays. According to the St. Pete Catalyst, city officials spent $756,725 on consultancy services to Abrams in the three years prior.
But Northern Kentucky University sports business professor Joe Cobbs said the county hiring Abrams “is a good development for us as taxpayers,” because he's an expert who "can really speak to the specific negotiating points.”
Cobbs said he thinks Abrams could help the county get a better deal with the Bengals and accelerate lease negotiations.

Both sides accused the other of violating their lease agreement for Paycor Stadium. And Blackburn wrote on Jan. 9, “With the stadium entering its final lease year, the situation stands very much at a precipice.”
Since Abrams has negotiated deals involving multiple types of sports teams, in different cities across the nation, he will likely be able to approach the Bengals with that broader perspective, Cobbs said.
“He'll be able to better evaluate what the Bengals bring to the table,” particularly with what the team says it can spend on stadium renovations, Cobbs said.
“What David will be able to say is no, you know, you could structure it this way. Other teams, ownership groups have done this from a financing perspective and, he’ll be able to more quickly, sort of push other positions.” Cobbs said. "I think that his financial background, that banking background is going to help.”
Even with Abrams' expertise, the Tampa Bay Rays stadium deal struggled through delays and weeks of uncertainty. And Rays owners floated the idea of relocating the team.
“With David at the table … representing the county, I'm being optimistic in the hopes that this won't drag on forever and get to ultimatums, but, of course, you never know,” Cobbs said.
Whatever the county spends on Abrams, it will also have to pay bills from Gabelman’s law firm, Frost Brown Todd, for his consultant work and expertise on riverfront development.
"The county has retained Frost Brown Todd due to the complex nature of numerous projects involving multiple stakeholders on the riverfront that require professionals with, among other things, extensive public-private finance expertise, institutional knowledge, and the experience and expertise to ensure consistent progress and, most importantly, the protection of the interests of the taxpayers," county spokesperson Bridget Doherty said in an email to WCPO.
The county spent $678,986 in 2021 on Frost Brown Todd; $691,098 in 2022; $918,888 in 2023; and $1,368,340 in 2024.
"It is important to note that the attorneys retained by the county involved in the current Bengals’ negotiations with the team were not involved in any of the negotiations of the original 1997 Bengals lease agreement. Also for context, these amounts are not dissimilar to what the county spends for outside counsel/consultants on major projects," Doherty said in the email.
In a written statement, Gabelman said in part, "Frost Brown Todd LLP, as special project counsel, has worked ... to transform our riverfront and protect the interests of Hamilton County taxpayers."
"The benefit, value, and return on investment to Hamilton County taxpayers... far exceeds the cost of such services by a factor of more than 20 times," Gabelman wrote.