Art Modell, Former Cleveland Browns Owner Dies at 87
If you don’t know who Art Modell is, you do if you are from Cleveland, OH. He orchestrated the uplift from Cleveland to Baltimore in the middle of the night in 1996. Then were born the Baltimore Ravens.
He wasn’t just a league owner. He definitely influenced ideas the League uses today. Art Modell was the president of the NFL from 1967 and 1969, chaired the first collective bargaining agreement in 1968. In 1970, Modell was the driving force behind television contracts between the NFL and ABC to televise games on Monday Night Football.
Ok now more on the move. Let’s be real.
Dear Cleveland,
You can’t be offended that your market is difficult to make money in.
Love, A Broke Art Modell.
That was a hypothetical letter but to some degree that’s essentially what happened in Modell’s mind.
Modell has said he lost millions of dollars operating the Browns in Cleveland and cited the state of Maryland’s financial package, including construction of a $200 million stadium, as his reasons for going to Baltimore. The Ravens replaced the Baltimore Colts, who moved to Indianapolis in 1984.
Since the move people treated him in two extreme ways. Some saw him for the sweetheart he was or other doom him for the Cleveland move for the rest of his life. Shannon Sharpe, former Ravens tight end, decided to see him for the sweetheart he was. Sharpe comments,
“Art talked with me every day when I played in Baltimore. He knew everything about what was going on in my life. He showed real concern. But, it wasn’t just me. He knew the practice squad players’ names. He treated them the same. He was out at practice when it was 100 degrees and when the December snows came. I loved playing for him.”
–Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe
We pray and send our best wishes to the Modell family. He was born in Brooklyn, dropped out of High School and worked as an Electrical Helper before the Ravens.
Photo Credit: Fox News
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