Art Modell Dead at 87 (1 Viewer)

[Godsbrother]

Art Modell Dead at 87

Former Ravens owner Art Modell brought the NFL back to Baltimore.

By Sean Welsh

UPDATED (7:15 a.m.)—Baltimore media outlets are reporting former Ravens owner Art Modell has died.

FOX45 began reporting around 6 a.m. that Modell had died. On its website, FOX45 reported that Modell, 87, was being treated for heart failure.

Around 7 a.m., WBAL.com and The Sun reported Modell had died.

The Sun reported early Thursday morning that Modell had been hospitalized at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

Modell sold the Ravens to Steve Bisciotti in two parts—49 percent ownership in 2000, and the remaining 51 percent in 2004.

He moved the Ravens to Baltimore before the start of the 1996 season. The Ravens won the Super Bowl in January 2001.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I would imagine the feelings about this news may be different, depending on where you live and how old you are.

For myself, I HATED the way Baltimore got football back. It was easy for me to empathize with Cleveland because I remembered how it felt when the Colts left. Robert Irsay is STILL vilified in Baltimore (always kind of a backwards-looking town anyway) 30 years after he moved the team.

In any case, RIP Art. He did a lot of good for the league.

 

[Godsbrother]

I would imagine the feelings about this news may be different, depending on where you live and how old you are.For myself, I HATED the way Baltimore got football back. It was easy for me to empathize with Cleveland because I remembered how it felt when the Colts left. Robert Irsay is STILL vilified in Baltimore (always kind of a backwards-looking town anyway) 30 years after he moved the team.In any case, RIP Art. He did a lot of good for the league.

Agreed. But if I were a Browns fan I would not be shedding many tears today.

 

[PizzaDeliveryGuy]

There are a lot of negative things that will be said about Modell and I'm sure this thread will lead to a few suspensions for Browns' fans. I think the best we could do is just say RIP Art Modell and move on.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I would imagine the feelings about this news may be different, depending on where you live and how old you are.For myself, I HATED the way Baltimore got football back. It was easy for me to empathize with Cleveland because I remembered how it felt when the Colts left. Robert Irsay is STILL vilified in Baltimore (always kind of a backwards-looking town anyway) 30 years after he moved the team.In any case, RIP Art. He did a lot of good for the league.

Agreed. But if I were a Browns fan I would not be shedding many tears today.

Hence my first sentence

 

[Hairy Snowman]

RIP Art Modell

You helped shape the landscape of the NFL landscape for decades.

 

[Bobcat10]

It sucks when people die, but I had virtually no sadness watching Jim Donovan break the news to Cleveland right after the Cowboys/Giants game last night.

 

[NJDawgPound]

And that's that.

Tony Grossi is a doosh but he has a special place in my heart for keeping him out of the Hall of Fame.

 

[Bobcat10]

And that's that. Tony Grossi is a doosh but he has a special place in my heart for keeping him out of the Hall of Fame.

Unfortunately he doesn't vote anymore, but I guess that didn't help Art last year.Grossi from this morning:

When he shocked the sporting world and plunged a dagger through the hearts of Cleveland and generations of Cleveland Browns fans on Nov. 6, 1995, announcing he was moving the bedrock NFL franchise to Baltimore, Art Modell wrote his epitaph as Northeast Ohio’s biggest villain of all time.Modell was 70 at the time and already the victim of two major heart attacks, two multiple bypass surgeries, and two hip replacements.I thought Modell would never see his renamed team play a game in the stadium built by Maryland taxpayers. I thought the immense emotional toll of the legal controversy that ensued and the avalanche of national outrage, frankly, would kill him.But not only did Modell witness his Ravens christen their new stadium behind Baltimore’s Camden Yards, he watched them claim the Super Bowl championship and reached the pinnacle of his career five years after his move.A survivor, that’s what Art Modell was.He was a showman, a sportsman, a fascinating figure in Cleveland sports history. But above all, the man was a survivor, a high school dropout who bought one of the most famous franchises in all of sports with just $25,000 of his own money. He became a civic benefactor and community leader, so popular that he was asked to run for governor of Ohio and other political offices.He survived the unfathomable firing of legendary Browns founding coach Paul Brown in 1963 and captured the NFL title in 1964 in a stunning upset over the Baltimore Colts under Brown’s top assistant, Blanton Collier. It remains Cleveland’s last major professional sports championship.Transplanted in Baltimore, which hailed him as a civic hero for bringing an NFL team back to that deserving city after a 13-year absence, Modell later suffered another heart attack, a serious staph infection after a fall, and a debilitating stroke.But it was the loss of his beloved wife of 42 years, Patricia Modell, which Modell struggled hardest to survive. Sources said Modell never recovered from Pat’s death last October.Modell reportedly passed away early Thursday morning of congestive heart failure. He was 87. At his bedside were sons John, 52, and David, 51, whom he adopted upon marrying the former Patricia Breslin, an accomplished Hollywood actress, in 1969. Modell had six grandchildren.From outcast and back: Modell’s life and legacy changed dramatically when he moved the Browns – provoking the wrath of NFL executives and some of the league’s most respective team owners who were powerless to stop him.He was vilified by national commentators and politicians, received death threats and employed two bodyguards. He cut off one of the great pleasures of his life, kibitzing with national reporters, and became a reclusive figure. Once a league kingpin, considered in the 1970s as the second most powerful man in the NFL next to Commissioner Pete Rozelle, Modell became a league outcast.He never returned to Cleveland after moving the team to Baltimore.By the time his Ravens reached the Super Bowl five years after his move, Modell reacquired his gregariousness and famous humor. Through his associations with wife Pat, who appeared in several Alfred Hitchcock movies and the soap opera General Hospital, Modell regaled in dropping the names of famous actors such as Charlton Heston, Lawrence Olivier, and Lucille Ball.Relaxing in the stands of Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., on the Tuesday before Super Bowl XXXV, Modell reveled in the glory of finally reaching what he often called “the Big Enchilada.”"I don't look back with any regrets," Modell said on that day. "I'm grateful for my life. My life was nip and tuck too many times and I was able to survive. If I'm a survivor, I want to be a survivor health-wise, and I want my family to survive, my grandchildren. I live for my family. My wife, my sons, their wives and above all my grandchildren."“I have no vindication,” he said of reaching the Super Bowl after his franchise move. “Let me say one statement about Cleveland. I am simply delighted, on behalf of my family, ecstatic that there is a football team in Cleveland called the Cleveland Browns, and they wear uniforms with seal brown and burnt orange colors, and they have the legacy of Jim Brown and Otto Graham and dozens of others, and above all playing in a new stadium.“That's all I can say. Anything beyond that, I'm not going to do it.”Plunging into near bankruptcy: The move was ultimately brokered by the NFL after the city of Cleveland, led by former Mayor Michael White and lead attorney Fred Nance, sued Modell for breaking a lease to play Browns games in the former decrepit Cleveland Stadium through 1998.A “global settlement” reached in February of 1996 allowed Modell to move his team to Baltimore. Modell had to pay Cleveland $11.55 million to buy out the three remaining years on the stadium lease and pay the city’s legal fees. Cleveland was promised a replacement team named the Browns if it built a new stadium partially funded by personal seat licenses and high-priced club seats.The replacement team was decided to be a start-up expansion franchise in 1997. A year later, it was awarded after a formal bidding process to Al Lerner – Modell’s former business partner and minority stakeholder in the old Browns – at a pricetag of $530 million.Modell later confessed that he moved the team to avoid personal bankruptcy and be able to hand it down to his sons. But he was not able to crawl out of from under a mountain debt, which reached a reported $185 million after his move.He was forced by the NFL to sell the team in 1999. He found a buyer in Maryland businessman Stephen Bisciotti. The two-phased sale called for Bisciotti to take over full control in four years for a total price of $600 million. Modell retained a token 1 percent stake in the franchise, an office in the team’s headquarters and a stadium suite. He attended most home games but declining health prevented him from traveling.At the time of the close of the sale in March of 2004, Modell said to a group of reporters, “I’ll tell you one thing which I’ve never said before at any time. If I didn’t move my team to Baltimore, my family would have gone to bankruptcy.“I had to (move). I couldn't afford it. You declare bankruptcy in the NFL, and it's an automatic revocation of your license. They strip you of the ballclub.”It was quite an admission for a proud man. Had he come clean in 1994 and leveled with the city and his team’s fans about his severe financial problems, he may have generated the sympathy to be taken care of. Instead, he declared, “I will never move this team,” and burned as the city built a new stadium for the Cleveland Indians, a new downtown arena for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum on the lakefront.Mover and shaker: Modell bought the Browns in 1961 for a then-record $3.925 million. When he moved in 1996, the franchise’s value was estimated at $163 million. In his time, the Browns made the playoffs 17 times, won 11 division titles and reached the AFC Championship Game three times in the 1980s. But the Browns never made it to the Super Bowl, which came into being in 1966.Modell’s experience in the burgeoning television industry as an advertising salesman and then show producer in New York gave him a prominent seat in Rozelle’s inner circle in the 1960s and ‘70s. In 31 years on the league’s broadcast committee, Modell helped negotiate network TV contracts that totaled $8.4 billion. Those deals made team owners rich men and the envy of all professional sports leagues.He conceived preseason doubleheaders at Cleveland Stadium, often pairing a Browns game with a rock concert. He volunteered to host the league’s first “Monday Night Football” game in 1970 when other owners feared it would be a box-office disaster.The game against the New York Jets drew a Cleveland Stadium-record 85,703 – convincing other owners to buy in. When the NFL agreed to merge with the American Football League, Modell helped break an impasse and agreed to move the Browns to the newly created AFC and convinced Pittsburgh and Baltimore to join him.Despite his controversial move, Modell and his family hoped to some day join other NFL movers and shakers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.He made it to the finalist round of 15 in 2002. After a lively debate, Modell failed to receive enough votes to advance past the first cutdown to 10 and never reached the finalist round again.Modell remains eligible for selection and is on the preliminary ballot for the Class of 2013.

 

[Captain Quinoa]

There's no forgiveness, no sadness.

But I'm not going to celebrate someone's death. What's done is done.

RIP

 

[Captain Quinoa]

Tony Grossi is a doosh but he has a special place in my heart for keeping him out of the Hall of Fame.

Unfortunately he doesn't vote anymore, but I guess that didn't help Art last year.

I thought he got his vote back.Unfortunately death will probably romanticize Art and propel him in eventually.

 

[wadegarrett]

I let that #### go a long time ago.

RIP

 

[Bobcat10]

Tony Grossi is a doosh but he has a special place in my heart for keeping him out of the Hall of Fame.

Unfortunately he doesn't vote anymore, but I guess that didn't help Art last year.

I thought he got his vote back.Unfortunately death will probably romanticize Art and propel him in eventually.

Maybe he did get it back, I'm not sure. Thought The Fan mentioned this morning that Mary Cay still had hers, which was his.Eventually he'll get in...hopefully it's still years down the line because it will still be ugly in Canton if that happens anytime soon.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Art did what was best for him. He put himself in front of the millions of Cleveland fans who supported that team over the years despite never making it to a Super Bowl. I don't believe that is an unfair statement. I'm not joyful the guy died, a lot of folks 87 die.

A legend in the NFL, did a lot of good when he was younger, but I will never forgive him for tearing the Browns up. I have fond memories of the Schottenheimer era, they were right there in the mid and late 80s duking it out with Denver...Kosar, Mathews, Byner/Mack, Newsome, Slaughter, Banks, Minifield

Anyways, he made those choices not us so I think we are allowed to be critical. Modell lived a sweet life as owner of an NFL franchise.

 

[dickey moe]

I let that #### go a long time ago. RIP

Good karma.

 

[Shutout]

No emotional biases in this one. After reading some of his accomplishments, I think he merits HOF inductment. He appears to have been a big part in what we enjoy in the NFL today.

 

[Bracie Smathers]

No emotional biases in this one. After reading some of his accomplishments, I think he merits HOF inductment. He appears to have been a big part in what we enjoy in the NFL today.

Art Modell isn't only the sum of his accomplishments to the growth of the NFL which would merit nomination into the HOf he also is responsible for the upheaval he caused.He fired a HOF head coach as a newbie owner. The HOF HC made far more accomplishments to the game of football than Art Modell, many things Paul Brown did were far ahead of his time such as radio receivers inside the QB's helmet so the coach could send in plays without rotating guards (rotating in gaurds so the HC could relay plays into the QB was one of the many wrinkles that Paul Brown made to the game of football). Art Modell moved a long established NFL franchise due to his greed and studpidity. The fans never failed to follow the team, they never faild to fill an 80,000 plus seat capacity stadium, they never failed to follow a team that he failed to put money into. His failed investment into an amusement park lead him to become financially unstable. He eventually sold the amusement park to a group of investors headed by country music star Dolly Parton who instantly had success when she renamed the park DOLLYWOOD and it became a hit. Art's failure made him bitter and he became insanely jealous of the new stadiums that the Cleveland Indians and the Cleveland Cavaliers got. The city told him they would build him a new stadium but it would take time. Art confessed that he became so angry that he went to the site of Jacobs Field were the Indians played so he could throw rocks in anger. Art did give to charities in Cleveland but he came in as a carpetbagger from New York and his public displays always seemed posed for marketing effect.Yes he made accomlishments to the game but he is the face of what every NFL fan should refuse with great zeal to ever get into the HOF or you could be the next franchise to be betrayed by a greedy owner whose stupidity and financial instability and bitter anger has him throw away all goodwill to a community as he publically shows dirt into loyal fans.I don't hate Art Modell.I feel sorry for him and anyone like him who doesn't understand what he has thrown away.He threw away his bust to the HOF and it will never rest in Canton Ohio.

 

[Legion of Doom]

I think he merits HOF inductment.

I think they better have guards on it 24/7 or it will be the most defaced/stolen item in Cleveland!!!!!!!

 

[Captain Quinoa]

No emotional biases in this one. After reading some of his accomplishments, I think he merits HOF inductment. He appears to have been a big part in what we enjoy in the NFL today.

Art Modell isn't only the sum of his accomplishments to the growth of the NFL which would merit nomination into the HOf he also is responsible for the upheaval he caused.He fired a HOF head coach as a newbie owner. The HOF HC made far more accomplishments to the game of football than Art Modell, many things Paul Brown did were far ahead of his time such as radio receivers inside the QB's helmet so the coach could send in plays without rotating guards (rotating in gaurds so the HC could relay plays into the QB was one of the many wrinkles that Paul Brown made to the game of football). Art Modell moved a long established NFL franchise due to his greed and studpidity. The fans never failed to follow the team, they never faild to fill an 80,000 plus seat capacity stadium, they never failed to follow a team that he failed to put money into. His failed investment into an amusement park lead him to become financially unstable. He eventually sold the amusement park to a group of investors headed by country music star Dolly Parton who instantly had success when she renamed the park DOLLYWOOD and it became a hit. Art's failure made him bitter and he became insanely jealous of the new stadiums that the Cleveland Indians and the Cleveland Cavaliers got. The city told him they would build him a new stadium but it would take time. Art confessed that he became so angry that he went to the site of Jacobs Field were the Indians played so he could throw rocks in anger. Art did give to charities in Cleveland but he came in as a carpetbagger from New York and his public displays always seemed posed for marketing effect.Yes he made accomlishments to the game but he is the face of what every NFL fan should refuse with great zeal to ever get into the HOF or you could be the next franchise to be betrayed by a greedy owner whose stupidity and financial instability and bitter anger has him throw away all goodwill to a community as he publically shows dirt into loyal fans.I don't hate Art Modell.I feel sorry for him and anyone like him who doesn't understand what he has thrown away.He threw away his bust to the HOF and it will never rest in Canton Ohio.

word

 

[Sweet Love]

I know this seems to be a touchy subject, so I am just going to weigh-in on a high-level. From the Grossi article, it seems as though he really was forced to move the team or else lose it altogether. Tough enough decision for yourself, let alone when you consider your family and what you can leave them. I also find it interesting that Lerner was his minority partner (did not know that) and if he could, I am guessing Modell would have sold the team outright...maybe Lerner did not have enough cash at the time, but maybe Modell did try to sell, and it just did not look like there were any viable prospects. The wonderful part of this situation is that Cleveland not only got a team 3 years later, but the same team, with literally the same history...I can understand as a fan being upset, but in the end (and really pretty quickly) worked out for Cleveland. If anything, Cleveland fans KNOW the NFL is dedicated to keeping a team in your city. I am a Jets fan...if Woody Johnson surprises everyone and chooses to move the team to L.A., I have no clue whether there will a "Jets" in the next season, next decade or ever.

From an outside observer, his pros seem to outweigh his cons by a pretty wide margin.

 

[Captain Quinoa]

HOF:

Pros:

- Facilitated the merger by offering to move the Browns to the AFC and helped convince the Steelers and Colts to move.

- Helped Pete Rozelle realize his vision of bringing the NFL to television using his TV and advertising contacts.

- Agreed to host the first Monday night football game, which drew the largest crowd in stadium history and kicked off MNF.

Cons:

- Bought a francise he could never really afford to own. Was in frequent financial peril. Moved the team to avoid personal bankruptcy in hopes of being able to pass the francise on to his children. Had to sell within 4 years anyway.

- Ran the most innovative, legendary, successful coach in history out of town due to ego.

- Pushed the greatest player in history into retirement by giving him a football or movies ultimatum.

- What Bracie said.

Verdict: DENIED

 

[Captain Quinoa]

I know this seems to be a touchy subject, so I am just going to weigh-in on a high-level. From the Grossi article, it seems as though he really was forced to move the team or else lose it altogether. Tough enough decision for yourself, let alone when you consider your family and what you can leave them. I also find it interesting that Lerner was his minority partner (did not know that) and if he could, I am guessing Modell would have sold the team outright...maybe Lerner did not have enough cash at the time, but maybe Modell did try to sell, and it just did not look like there were any viable prospects.

Modell did not try to sell. He did not want to sell. Lerner had enough money in his couch cushions to buy the team. Had he come to the city in 1994 and said "look, I'm in financial trouble, I need this new stadium or I am going to have to move the team" the city and fans would have done everything they could to make it work. Instead he stomped his feet and pouted and ripped the team from the most loyal fan base in the league.

The wonderful part of this situation is that Cleveland not only got a team 3 years later, but the same team, with literally the same history...I can understand as a fan being upset, but in the end (and really pretty quickly) worked out for Cleveland. If anything, Cleveland fans KNOW the NFL is dedicated to keeping a team in your city.

Oh yes, these last 13 years have been nothing but puppies and rainbows for Browns fans. Thanks Art! Thanks NFL! And it was the people and leaders of Cleveland that fought and clawed just to get the history/name/colors deal. Art and the NFL would have simply moved it all.

From an outside observer, his pros seem to outweigh his cons by a pretty wide margin.

no

 

[Bracie Smathers]

I know this seems to be a touchy subject, so I am just going to weigh-in on a high-level. From the Grossi article, it seems as though he really was forced to move the team or else lose it altogether. Tough enough decision for yourself, let alone when you consider your family and what you can leave them. I also find it interesting that Lerner was his minority partner (did not know that) and if he could, I am guessing Modell would have sold the team outright...maybe Lerner did not have enough cash at the time, but maybe Modell did try to sell, and it just did not look like there were any viable prospects. The wonderful part of this situation is that Cleveland not only got a team 3 years later, but the same team, with literally the same history...I can understand as a fan being upset, but in the end (and really pretty quickly) worked out for Cleveland. If anything, Cleveland fans KNOW the NFL is dedicated to keeping a team in your city. I am a Jets fan...if Woody Johnson surprises everyone and chooses to move the team to L.A., I have no clue whether there will a "Jets" in the next season, next decade or ever.From an outside observer, his pros seem to outweigh his cons by a pretty wide margin.

You are not at all aware of many things and by a pretty wide margin.Art Modell didn't invest into the team when free agency started so all of those solid teams that the Browns had in the late 80s carrying over into the 90s were broken apart when other teams plucked the best young free agents from the Browns.The fans got screwed because Art couldn't or wouldn't put his money into the team as he stewed over the new stadiums the other proffessional teams got. Not only did the fans get screwed out of the team but consider this Sweet.Art COULD HAVE SOLD CONTROLLING INTEREST TO AL LERNER just as he did to the Baltimore guy. Art LOST controlling interest in the team when he sold out. Their was NO benefit to moving the team as he lost controlling interest the second he signed the contract to move the team. He could have kept the fanchise in Cleveland and Baltimore could have had the expansion franchise. Cleveland lost the franchise, the front office, the players, they had to start from scratch. Baltimore not only got the front office with Ozzie Newsome and company who have been extolled as one of the top front office's in the NFL but they also got a roster of established NFL players AND they got a TOP-FIVE FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICK used to take HOF OLT Jonathan Ogden AND AN EXTRA FRIST ROUND DRAFT PICK used to take sure-fire HOF LB Ray Lewis, they also got a sure-fire HOF HC in Bill Belichick but Art FIRED HIM just as he fired Paul Brown, another HOF HC.The fans in Cleveland got screwed out of the front office and the established team and got an expansion franchise. The NFL made it extra-hard for an expansion franchise to have any success. They wouldn't allow Cleveland to even form a front office until after the Super Bowl so they had no scouting department for the NFL draft in April, they forced Cleveland to use 95% of their salary cap in the first year and then allowed every NFL franchise to keep their top free agents to the Browns had virtually nothing to choose from in free agency. The NFL then took away the EXTRA FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICKS THAT BOTH JACKSONVILLE AND CAROLINA got when they came into the league. The NFL told the Browns they were not allowed to get a head coach until AFTER the Super Bowl but every other NFL team needing a HC was allowed to interview and hire the top HC candidattes before Cleveland had a shot to conduct one interview. If that wasn't enough the NFL then CHANGED THE RULES FOR THE SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT when it was annouced that WR Peter Warrick was coming out. They changed the rules AFTER Warrick made his announcement and made the supplemental draft selectino proccess a lottery or else the Browns would have had the first pick in the supplemental draft. Oh and in 1985 when the Browns traded with Buffalo to get the #1 supplemental pick so they could take QB Bernie Kosar the Browns had to give up two first round draft picks to Buffalo so the NFL didn't want Cleleand to have ANY EXTRA FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICKS so they bent over backwards to screw the team by making up ANOTHER RULE TO SCREW CLEVELAND by saying that no supplemental draft picks could be traded away.Oh and the Cleveland Browns who are in Baltimore went onto win a Super Bowl which should have been celebrated in Cleveland but the NFL owners got what they wanted, they completely and utterly screwed Cleveland fans, forcing them to pay top dollar for a brand new stadium and then foisting a second rate product on the fan base.Just think Sweet Love. 32 NLF teams. Do the math. 32 teams. If a fan live to be 75 years old they mathematically have a shot to witness 2 Super Bowl championships in their lifetime PROVIDED the NFL doesn't allow a greedy and stupid NFL owner to move your franchise and then screw you with prohibative rules that basically prevent your EXPANSION team from ever having a legitimate shot to compete.No, the pros don't outweigh the cons by a wide margin.

 

[Captain Quinoa]

I have full on Bracie-wood

 

[Bobcat10]

Sounds like Grossi does have a vote back. Good to here.

I'll paraphrase his stance this morning from The Big Show regarding the sympathy voting:

Death doesn't change life. If he wasn't good enough to get into the HOF when he was alive, the same goes for right now.

 

[RevDawg]

I have full on Bracie-wood

 

[ichris]

RIP.

 

[GroveDiesel]

All NFL fans should hold resentment towards Modell. Everytime a team's fans are held hostage by an owner who threatens to move the team unless the city caves and lavishes hundreds of millions of dollars on them, you can blame Irsay, Al Davis and Art Modell. They give legitimacy to those threats. Cleveland packed that stadium even when the team was mediocre or bad. But Modell wanted a new stadium and he wanted it RIGHT NOW!

And the way he treated the fans before he left was shameful. Perhaps it was due to his finances, but he stopped spending money and the team cratered. He allowed BB to ship off fan favorite Kosar. And when fans reacted by protesting with chants, paper bags on heads, etc. Modell was furious. I think he even banned fans wearing paper bags.

 

[gandalas]

Transplanted in Baltimore, which hailed him as a civic hero for bringing an NFL team back to that deserving city after a 13-year absence, Modell later suffered another heart attack, a serious staph infection after a fall, and a debilitating stroke.

I guess that Cleveland sent him some medicine or something... Hate the guy, but don't really care if he lived or died.

 

[Please See Mine]

Then screw you with prohibative rules that basically prevent your EXPANSION team from ever having a legitimate shot to compete.

What means this?

 

[wadegarrett]

I let that #### go a long time ago. RIP

Good karma.

Not yet.

 

[MAC_32]

There's no forgiveness, no sadness.But I'm not going to celebrate someone's death. What's done is done.RIP

 

[jdubs952]

"Despite a no-cost stadium lease, all revenues from parking, concessions, and TV, as well as a reported $25M Maryland subsidy, Modell's ownership of the Ravens resulted in continual financial hardships, and the NFL stepped in and directed Modell to sell his franchise."

What the hell was this guy doing w/ all the money? How could he screw up running an NFL franchise twice?

 

[Captain Quinoa]

"Despite a no-cost stadium lease, all revenues from parking, concessions, and TV, as well as a reported $25M Maryland subsidy, Modell's ownership of the Ravens resulted in continual financial hardships, and the NFL stepped in and directed Modell to sell his franchise." What the hell was this guy doing w/ all the money? How could he screw up running an NFL franchise twice?

Making it rain at the Golden Corral dinner buffet?

 

[B-Deep]

All you Modell haters REMEMBER, his co-conspirator was the eventual owner of the new browns. You embraced the man who orchestrated the whole deal. You could at least move past Modell now.

 

[MAC_32]

All you Modell haters REMEMBER, his co-conspirator was the eventual owner of the new browns. You embraced the man who orchestrated the whole deal. You could at least move past Modell now.

There's more to this story than we know and (possibly) fortunately for Al we'll never know it. I'd be lying if I said I never had doubts that Lerner thought more about himself than the team, but I also can't confidently say it either. Whatever the reason, he managed it very well. Just ask Randy's bank account.

 

[Sweet Love]

I know this seems to be a touchy subject, so I am just going to weigh-in on a high-level. From the Grossi article, it seems as though he really was forced to move the team or else lose it altogether. Tough enough decision for yourself, let alone when you consider your family and what you can leave them. I also find it interesting that Lerner was his minority partner (did not know that) and if he could, I am guessing Modell would have sold the team outright...maybe Lerner did not have enough cash at the time, but maybe Modell did try to sell, and it just did not look like there were any viable prospects. The wonderful part of this situation is that Cleveland not only got a team 3 years later, but the same team, with literally the same history...I can understand as a fan being upset, but in the end (and really pretty quickly) worked out for Cleveland. If anything, Cleveland fans KNOW the NFL is dedicated to keeping a team in your city. I am a Jets fan...if Woody Johnson surprises everyone and chooses to move the team to L.A., I have no clue whether there will a "Jets" in the next season, next decade or ever.From an outside observer, his pros seem to outweigh his cons by a pretty wide margin.

You are not at all aware of many things and by a pretty wide margin.Art Modell didn't invest into the team when free agency started so all of those solid teams that the Browns had in the late 80s carrying over into the 90s were broken apart when other teams plucked the best young free agents from the Browns.The fans got screwed because Art couldn't or wouldn't put his money into the team as he stewed over the new stadiums the other proffessional teams got. Not only did the fans get screwed out of the team but consider this Sweet.Art COULD HAVE SOLD CONTROLLING INTEREST TO AL LERNER just as he did to the Baltimore guy. Art LOST controlling interest in the team when he sold out. Their was NO benefit to moving the team as he lost controlling interest the second he signed the contract to move the team. He could have kept the fanchise in Cleveland and Baltimore could have had the expansion franchise. Cleveland lost the franchise, the front office, the players, they had to start from scratch. Baltimore not only got the front office with Ozzie Newsome and company who have been extolled as one of the top front office's in the NFL but they also got a roster of established NFL players AND they got a TOP-FIVE FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICK used to take HOF OLT Jonathan Ogden AND AN EXTRA FRIST ROUND DRAFT PICK used to take sure-fire HOF LB Ray Lewis, they also got a sure-fire HOF HC in Bill Belichick but Art FIRED HIM just as he fired Paul Brown, another HOF HC.The fans in Cleveland got screwed out of the front office and the established team and got an expansion franchise. The NFL made it extra-hard for an expansion franchise to have any success. They wouldn't allow Cleveland to even form a front office until after the Super Bowl so they had no scouting department for the NFL draft in April, they forced Cleveland to use 95% of their salary cap in the first year and then allowed every NFL franchise to keep their top free agents to the Browns had virtually nothing to choose from in free agency. The NFL then took away the EXTRA FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICKS THAT BOTH JACKSONVILLE AND CAROLINA got when they came into the league. The NFL told the Browns they were not allowed to get a head coach until AFTER the Super Bowl but every other NFL team needing a HC was allowed to interview and hire the top HC candidattes before Cleveland had a shot to conduct one interview. If that wasn't enough the NFL then CHANGED THE RULES FOR THE SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT when it was annouced that WR Peter Warrick was coming out. They changed the rules AFTER Warrick made his announcement and made the supplemental draft selectino proccess a lottery or else the Browns would have had the first pick in the supplemental draft. Oh and in 1985 when the Browns traded with Buffalo to get the #1 supplemental pick so they could take QB Bernie Kosar the Browns had to give up two first round draft picks to Buffalo so the NFL didn't want Cleleand to have ANY EXTRA FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICKS so they bent over backwards to screw the team by making up ANOTHER RULE TO SCREW CLEVELAND by saying that no supplemental draft picks could be traded away.Oh and the Cleveland Browns who are in Baltimore went onto win a Super Bowl which should have been celebrated in Cleveland but the NFL owners got what they wanted, they completely and utterly screwed Cleveland fans, forcing them to pay top dollar for a brand new stadium and then foisting a second rate product on the fan base.Just think Sweet Love. 32 NLF teams. Do the math. 32 teams. If a fan live to be 75 years old they mathematically have a shot to witness 2 Super Bowl championships in their lifetime PROVIDED the NFL doesn't allow a greedy and stupid NFL owner to move your franchise and then screw you with prohibative rules that basically prevent your EXPANSION team from ever having a legitimate shot to compete.No, the pros don't outweigh the cons by a wide margin.

As I mentioned, I am looking from it from an outside point of view, from what I have read recently. You mention a couple of points that I think are worth addressing. I understand the staff was taken and did not consider that in my initial assessment, so I do understand the ramifications of that (especially when you have Ozzie Newsome as the GM (with that said, it was a different coach and different core team that won it, but I get it). I am not sure, nor do I think anyone knows whether he could have survived financially or not (we will never know...it is his word of his finances versus anyone from the outside), but it was HIS team, and he can do with it as he feels, if he believes it to be in his best interest. In the end, whether he sold locally or not, the team did go to Lerner, and while I understand that they started from scratch AND that the rules changed from Carolina/Jax days, somehow, some way Houston managed to put a competitive team on the field even when they "pooched" their first pick just like Cleveland did (Couch and Carr). Playing Devil's advocate, would you be happier if he had sold the team to Lerner and you had 16 years of misery versus 13 as of today? We don't know whether Ray Lewis would have been available in that draft or Odgen, etc. if the team stayed. It looks worse on paper, but in the end, it could have been just as bad.In the end having an NFL is a privilege, not a right. Most teams can "support" their team...it goes beyond that in today's NFL. It is not about fannies in the seats, it is about stadiums and boxes. personally, I don't get it (as I am happy to plunk my tail in any seat in any stadium to watch NFL), but there are revenues that we are and are not privy to that drive these decisions. Do you think that when certain ownerships fees come up they do a "standard of living" adjustment for the Clevelands versus the Giants/Jets owners? Of course not, they are all charged x and pay x. He could have been and might well have been a bad person when it comes to how he dealt with the situation, but I am someone who gives people the benefit of the doubt when I can. Plus, I know it has not been rosy in Cleveland, but (1) you are lucky to have a team as there are other cities (like my Raleigh) that are just as worthy and (2) that you got one back pretty quickly. When Shad Khan moves JAX to LA or Ralph Wilson's barely lukewarm corpse moves the team somewhere else, when do you think those cities will get another franchise? Not in 3 years...

 

[Bracie Smathers]

As I mentioned, I am looking from it from an outside point of view, from what I have read recently. You mention a couple of points that I think are worth addressing. I understand the staff was taken and did not consider that in my initial assessment, so I do understand the ramifications of that (especially when you have Ozzie Newsome as the GM (with that said, it was a different coach and different core team that won it, but I get it). I am not sure, nor do I think anyone knows whether he could have survived financially or not (we will never know...it is his word of his finances versus anyone from the outside), but it was HIS team, and he can do with it as he feels, if he believes it to be in his best interest. In the end, whether he sold locally or not, the team did go to Lerner, and while I understand that they started from scratch AND that the rules changed from Carolina/Jax days, somehow, some way Houston managed to put a competitive team on the field even when they "pooched" their first pick just like Cleveland did (Couch and Carr). Playing Devil's advocate, would you be happier if he had sold the team to Lerner and you had 16 years of misery versus 13 as of today? We don't know whether Ray Lewis would have been available in that draft or Odgen, etc. if the team stayed. It looks worse on paper, but in the end, it could have been just as bad.

In the end having an NFL is a privilege, not a right. Most teams can "support" their team...it goes beyond that in today's NFL. It is not about fannies in the seats, it is about stadiums and boxes. personally, I don't get it (as I am happy to plunk my tail in any seat in any stadium to watch NFL), but there are revenues that we are and are not privy to that drive these decisions. Do you think that when certain ownerships fees come up they do a "standard of living" adjustment for the Clevelands versus the Giants/Jets owners? Of course not, they are all charged x and pay x. He could have been and might well have been a bad person when it comes to how he dealt with the situation, but I am someone who gives people the benefit of the doubt when I can. Plus, I know it has not been rosy in Cleveland, but (1) you are lucky to have a team as there are other cities (like my Raleigh) that are just as worthy and (2) that you got one back pretty quickly. When Shad Khan moves JAX to LA or Ralph Wilson's barely lukewarm corpse moves the team somewhere else, when do you think those cities will get another franchise? Not in 3 years...

An outside POV doesn't mean you are objective. Just about every point you made is patently wrong then you sum up false arguments with the curt pontificating phrase, "Being an NFL fan is a privledge not a right." I could turn around like so many and blast you but I won't.I however won't waste another word on you other than to direct you to this article from Metro Jacksonville that goes into details of EVERY NFL team that has moved since the 1960s and the primary reason for the relocation.

You did not give an outside or object POV. This is an objective point of view.

My link

The Jaguars - NFL Relocations and the LA Stadium Plan

It's one of the most talked about topics at the water cooler - the Jaguars - and their ticket sales woes. It seems every national media outlet has had at least one writer take a shot at Jacksonville for the lack of ticket sales. Today, Metro Jacksonville continues its seven part series discussing the Jaguars and the Jacksonville Market, and how they compare to other NFL cities.

Since 1960, there have been quite a few NFL teams that have relocated. At this point, most markets that have lost an NFL team have gotten a team back, either through expansion or relocation. The reason for these moves? Money. Make no mistake, the NFL is a business, and like any business, you want to make it as profitable as you can. If there is another city that would make the business more profitable, than the owner will consider it, especially if he isn't making money in his current market. Now, let's take a look at each NFL relocation in the last 50 years.

1960– Chicago Cardinals move to St. Louis

The Chicago Cardinals at Comiskey Park in 1947

Primary Reason for Relocation: Fan Support

The Chicago Cardinals were the “second” team in Chicago to the Bears for a long time. However, it turned for the worst in the 1950s, when the team started hemorrhaging money quickly. Cardinals owner Violet Bidwell sought permission to relocate, and with the impending startup of the rival American Football League, St Louis was the agreed upon destination.

Replacement Franchise: None (Chicago is a one team market today)

1961– Los Angeles Chargers move to San Diego

Football at the LA Coliseum, the historic stadium that doesn't really hold any event well. It's shaped wrong for baseball, and the field is too big for football. Los Angeles tried to address the issue for the USC Trojans, by adding bleachers on part of the field and removing part of the main structures seats

After only one season in Los Angeles, the Chargers moved down south to San Diego. Between the sharing of the LA Coliseum, trying to build a fan base in someone else’s house, and the fact that a legacy really wasn’t established, ownership felt that the move made sense.

Replacement Franchise: the Oakland Raiders, which moved to Los Angeles for the 1982 season.

1963 – Dallas Texans move to Kansas City

The Dallas Texans Logo, which was changed upon the move to Kansas City

Primary Reason for Relocation: Fan Support

In 1959, Lamar Hunt, AFL founder and owner of the Dallas Texans franchise, was having trouble competing against the NFL’s Dallas franchise, the Cowboys. In 1963, he began to look for relocation options, and when the City of Kansas City promised to triple attendance and add seats at Municipal Stadium (home to the Kansas City Athletics baseball team), Lamar Hunt packed his bags and moved up the road.

Replacement Franchise: None (Dallas is a one team market today)

1982– Oakland Raiders move to Los Angeles

The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, home to both the Raiders and Athletics Baseball Team. Both teams are currently shopping for new facilities.

Primary Reason for Relocation: Facility Issues

In 1980, Raiders Owner Al Davis tried to lobby the city of Oakland to make improvements to the Raiders’ Home, the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. It didn’t go so well for Davis, and he signed a letter of intent to move the team to Los Angeles. Despite the NFL’s disapproval, Davis went to court, won, and moved the Raiders to the Los Angeles Coliseum for the 1982 season.

Replacement Franchise: the Oakland Raiders, which moved BACK to Oakland for the 1995 Season

1984 – Baltimore Colts move to Indianapolis

The image long time Baltimore residents will never forget - the Mayflower moving company relocating their beloved Colts to Indianapolis

Primary Reason for Relocation: Facility Issues

In the 1970’s, Bob Irsay (the owner of the Baltimore Colts) was growing increasingly unhappy with his situation in Baltimore due to a variety of reasons. The main issue was the condition of their facility, Memorial Stadium, which they shared with the Baltimore Orioles Baseball Team. The stadium was built decades ago, and was in desperate need of renovation. A city and state task force even reviewed the stadium, and found that the facility was woefully inadequate for either the Colts or Orioles, much less the two teams sharing the same space. Irsay talked to folks from Los Angeles, Memphis, Phoenix, Indianapolis, and Jacksonville, where we famously had 50,000 fans waiting in the Gator Bowl when Irsay came to town. However, Indianapolis won out after building a brand new domed stadium before the team even committed to moving, and in what is arguably the most heart wrenching of all of the relocations, on March 29th, 1984, 13 trucks from Mayflower showed up, packed everything the team owned, and the Baltimore Colts were no more.

Replacement Franchise: The quasi-expansion Baltimore Ravens, which began play in 1996. See below for an explanation.

1988 – St Louis Cardinals move to Phoenix

The Cardinals moved to Phoenix because of facility issues. Little did they know that it would take them nearly 20 years to get that first-class facility that they sought. University of Phoenix Stadium opened in 2006, and features America's first retractable field. It slides out for sun and water during the week, and slides back in on gamedays.

Primary Reason for Relocation: Facility Issues

After the 1987 season, with the push for a new football-only facility turning futile (they had shared a stadium with the St Louis Cardinals Baseball Team), they announced plans to relocate to Phoenix, with a handshake promise of a new facility in the Phoenix area. However, the Savings and Loan crisis proved to be much more powerful than a handshake, and the Cardinals ended up playing in Arizona State University’s Sun Devil Stadium for nearly 20 years before they got a facility of their own.

Replacement Franchise: The relocated Los Angeles Rams, which began play in 1995.

1995– Los Angeles Raiders move to Oakland

Primary Reason for Relocation: Facility Issues

In 1987 (just five years after moving to LA), Al Davis began the push for a new stadium for the Raiders. Not only was the stadium not up to par with other NFL facilities, the surrounding neighborhood was so bad thqt it actually had an impact on attendance. Despite multiple attempts at a new stadium (one attempt actually had one of the LA suburbs pay Al Davis $10 million to come to their city), it was never resolved, and Davis and company packed up, and went BACK up I-5 to Northern California, to the same facility that was unsuitable 15 years before.

Replacement Franchise: None

1995– Los Angeles Rams move to St. Louis

The Rams moved into Anaheim Stadium in 1979, which was expanded to accomodate football. However, the expansion took a decent baseball facility, and made it a sub-par multi-use facility.

Primary Reason for Relocation: Facility Issues

In 1980, the Rams moved out of the LA Coliseum to Anaheim Stadium, home of the California Angels. To prepare for this, the City of Anaheim (a suburb of LA) added about 20,000 seats to Anaheim Stadium. However, the result was that a decent baseball facility became a sub-par facility for either baseball or football. Furthermore, the Raiders move to LA in 1982 fractured the Rams’ stranglehold on the LA market, making it tougher to compete financially. New Owner Georgia Frontiere (widow of the late Carroll Rosenbloom), was originally from St Louis, so it was no shock when she picked up on day, and left for St Louis.

Replacement Franchise: None

1996– Houston Oilers move to Tennessee

The Astrodome shortly after it opened in 1964. Called "The Eighth Wonder of the World", the City of Houston is now trying to come up with a use for this vacant facility.

Primary Reason for Relocation: Facility Issues

Throughout the 1990’s, Houston Oilers owner Bud Adams was looking for a new facility to replace the aging Astrodome. A new facility was being planned for the Astros baseball team, but they could not put together a plan for a new football stadium, and Adams shopped the team to Nashville, who built a new, riverfront stadium for the now-renamed Tennessee Titans

Replacement Franchise: The Houston Texans, which began play in 2002

1996– Cleveland Browns move to Baltimore (sort of)

Cleveland Stadium, during the Browns last game in 1995. After this season, Browns Owner Art Modell became the most hated man in Ohio, and Cleveland Stadium was demolished.

Primary Reason for Relocation: Facility Issues, and a trigger-happy owner.

We've saved the most bizarre one for last. Browns Owner Art Modell is probably the winner of the “blame the city because I’m an idiot” award. In the 1970’s, Modell signed a deal with the City of Cleveland to redo the Cleveland Stadium lease. As part of the lease, the Browns would get the revenue from the big money generators, such as the luxury boxes and advertising, despite the fact that they shared the stadium with the Cleveland Indians baseball team. Modell was as happy as a pig in filth, so when the Indians and the Cleveland Cavaliers Basketball team invited him to be part of the Gateway Project, a public works project to build new facilities for the teams, he declined, thinking that he would continue to let the money roll in. However, with the Indians moving out, so did 81 events a year at the facility, and the advertising and revenue that went with that.

Because of this, Modell places an issue on the ballot to raise $175 million for improvements to Cleveland Stadium. The day before the vote, he announced that he had a deal to relocate to Baltimore. The next day, in an effort to save the Browns, they overwhelming approved the measure. After Modell kept pushing the relocation, Browns fans reacted violently, to the point that the fans in the “Dawg Pound” (a rowdy section in the end zone) literally threw everything that they had onto the field (including the bleachers).

After the 1995 season, the City of Cleveland, the City of Baltimore, Art Modell, and the NFL sat down, and worked out a compromise. The Cleveland Browns Logo, name and legacy would remain in Cleveland, and a team would be established there with a new ownership group for the 1999 season, giving the City of Cleveland time to construct a new facility. Art Modell would then be awarded an expansion franchise for the city of Baltimore, however, the NFL forced Modell to sell the team in 2000 because of the fact that he managed to lose money with the new team as well.

Replacement Franchise: After a three year hiatus, the Cleveland Browns resumed operations in 1999

EVERY other relocation was due to non-support in some way from the original city.Cleveland was the only move made due to, incompetance, greed, stupidity, of the owner.

I don't hate Art Modell or stupid people so I don't hate anyone who looks down their nose at me and tells me its a privledge for me to have an NFL team to root for.

No.

Any team should consider it a privledge to have anyone like me support them.

Modell won't ever be inducted into the Canton OHIO Hall of Fame.

 

[flapgreen]

Sad day.

 

[Captain Quinoa]

I know it has not been rosy in Cleveland, but (1) you are lucky to have a team as there are other cities (like my Raleigh) that are just as worthy

(2) that you got one back pretty quickly. When Shad Khan moves JAX to LA or Ralph Wilson's barely lukewarm corpse moves the team somewhere else, when do you think those cities will get another franchise? Not in 3 years...

Again, only because the NFL knew that the city was getting screwed so badly and the people of Cleveland fought for that. It wasn't out of the goodness of the NFL or Modell's heart.

 

[Bobcat10]

I know it has not been rosy in Cleveland, but (1) you are lucky to have a team as there are other cities (like my Raleigh) that are just as worthy

I love comments like that. What's the word on the moment of silence? We can't be that stupid to attempt this.

 

[beer 302]

Sounds like Grossi does have a vote back. Good to here. I'll paraphrase his stance this morning from The Big Show regarding the sympathy votingeath doesn't change life. If he wasn't good enough to get into the HOF when he was alive, the same goes for right now.

One of the most intelligent things I've ever heard Grossi say, absolutely agree.I have no love lost for the man but RIP (in hell)

 

[NJDawgPound]

I have full on Bracie-wood

Bracie doing God's work in here

 

[GreatLakesMike]

I've always been a huge Gracie fan and have told him as much.

As far as Art, RIP. Like WG said, I let that #### go a long time ago. It doesn't mean I like Art, but I don't judge him either.

 

[Borat]

Can we all at least acknowledge that Cleveland sucks?

 

[kingmalaki]

Just curious.....why are folks in Cleveland still so upset? You got a new team quickly, a new stadium and you got to keep the team name and all of the history. Sweetheart deal if you ask this Houstonian.

Edit: Well I guess Bracie Smathers post fully explains why.

 

[Sweet Love]

Bracie,

No need to comment, and I am the first to admit if my post/thoughts get skewed or are wrong. You are right; outside view is not necessarily objective and I could have chosen my words better when I mentioned it was a privilege to have an NFL team. Personally, I think it is (as someone who moved to a city without one from having two teams 17 minutes away from me in NJ, I have a new perspective), but I let it cloud the point of my post and that was just dumb.

To expand on my point (and throw throw any other crap into it), you are correct in that he frankly screwed up a "peanut butter and jelly sandwich". When you buy a major league sports team, for the most part you are going to lose money, but likely not go bankrupt (unless it is the NFL)...to lose money and almost go bankrupt in the NFL is almost unthinkable. But he did and was faced with going bankrupt (and much of this I get from the article you pasted). I am not sure whether it was greed, poor business management or both. Chances are he had more houses than my extended family combined and took NFL monies and put them into other businesses. In the end, from reading the article, it looks like he was trapped...now that was his own doing by making a bad business decision by not joining the gateway project, but I have not read anything (and I did some light digging) about how he could have gotten out of that situation quickly and without going bankrupt. Maybe Baltimore gave him a hard deadline and would pull the offer if it came up to vote, and he would have been ruined had it not passed. In the end, I am not saying that he was a good man (I never knew him) and I am happy the city got a team (at least in agreement) almost immediately after. Having lived in Hartford, I've seen what happens when a team leaves the city and never comes back. The owner promises that 85% capacity guarantees permanence and when it is met, he leaves anyway. He did what he felt was right and although I resented it, it was his business to run as he felt fit. I don't hate him for it, I was just disappointed...and he wasn't even in a bad financial place.

RIP Modell.

 

[kingmalaki]

I know it has not been rosy in Cleveland, but (1) you are lucky to have a team as there are other cities (like my Raleigh) that are just as worthy

(2) that you got one back pretty quickly. When Shad Khan moves JAX to LA or Ralph Wilson's barely lukewarm corpse moves the team somewhere else, when do you think those cities will get another franchise? Not in 3 years...

Again, only because the NFL knew that the city was getting screwed so badly and the people of Cleveland fought for that. It wasn't out of the goodness of the NFL or Modell's heart.

Houstonians got screwed just as badly and also fought to keep the team and for the team history. Bud just didn't give a damn and it took forever to get a new team. I'm sure Moddell could have been an ### and kept the history if he wanted. Just sayin from the perspective of other cities that lost a team.....Cleveland got a great deal. Those cities also put up a fight.Edit: And Bracie, that article is wrong about the Oilers relocation. Adams asked for a new stadium and was originally told no. He started secretly shopping the team and after the talks with Nashville became public (they built a $292M stadium), Houston offered $144M towards a new stadium and $70M in ticket sales. In other words, he chose a better deal just like Moddell. The city WAS supportive. But the owner went for the $$ and it took us more than 3 years to get another team...with none of the history.If the article was wrong about us I don't have much faith in its takes on the other relocations.

 

[wadegarrett]

I know it has not been rosy in Cleveland, but (1) you are lucky to have a team as there are other cities (like my Raleigh) that are just as worthy

I love comments like that. What's the word on the moment of silence? We can't be that stupid to attempt this.

Why bother? It would be the loudest moment of silence in history.

 

[Bobcat10]

I've heard some great interviews the past two days. Really enjoyed Kevin Byrne who graduated from St. Eds (Cleveland), worked for the Browns, moved with Modell, and is now a high ranking VP with the Ravens. Great perspective from somebody completely in the know (it was just on 92.3 The Fan if you go searching later). Just a few powerful things he said was that he has family members that still do not speak to him and old friend handshakes don't feel like they used to. He also said he urged Modell to go public many times with exactly what was happening, but Modell didn't want to be like Irsay, etc. He regrets not pushing him harder and he essentially said it was a horrible decision to move the team.

On another subject, many people who don't know much about the matter think Modell could have taken everything if he wanted (as if he left the history, etc, behind as a nice gesture), that is incorrect. Modell fought tooth and nail to take everything. Manoloff was recounting yesterday that his brother was part of the legal firm during all this and that this subject was a bitter battle.