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Washington Times An Art worth hailing Dick Heller October 25, 2007 Art Modell helped negotiate TV contracts that made pro football the nation's most popular sport. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nearly 1,000 fans paid tribute to Art Modell this week in Cockeysville, Md., and the only one who didn't think the former owner of the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame was ... Art Modell. Art probably was kidding, something he does a lot. It's part of his persona as a really good guy, as well as one of the NFL's most effective and significant owners over four decades. "I don't really want to talk about the Hall of Fame," Modell insisted while sitting in a wheelchair and nursing a drink before the hail (but hopefully not farewell) sponsored by the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards. "It's not my call — I don't have a vote. My wife doesn't have a vote either, but if she did she'd probably vote against me." Modell is 82 and four years removed from selling the Ravens to Steve Bisciotti, but obviously his sense of humor remains intact despite a stroke in 2002. Speakers like Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome, coach Brian Billick, former Colts star Lenny Moore and son David Modell referred to it during Tuesday's night's affair at swanky Valley Mansion, but everyone also mentioned a more important topic. Canton, there's an empty spot on your walls. Some people think Modell hasn't made the Hall of Fame because he moved his Browns out of Cleveland in 1995 when the city refused to build him a badly needed stadium. But as Moore noted, "Al Davis moved [the Raiders] twice, and he's in." If voting members of the Pro Football Writers Association don't anoint Modell and soon, they could be accused of brain lock from absorbing too many cliches spouted by coaches and players. He belongs as much as, say, George Halas or Paul Brown. (And certainly more than Washington's own George Preston Marshall, whose calculated prejudice kept the Redskins lily white and generally inept for 25 years.) Forget the desertion of Cleveland because he really had no other choice. As former Browns and Ravens defensive end Rob Burnett put it, "Like any good businessman, he had to move on — and not in the middle of the night [as was the case when Colts owner Robert Irsay slithered off to Indianapolis in March 1984]." Modell was only 36 when he bought the Browns in 1961 but swiftly became one of the NFL's most prominent owners. He played a major role in negotiating the revenue-sharing network TV and "Monday Night Football" contracts that made pro football the nation's most popular sport. He also brokered the first collective bargaining agreement and served as the first modern NFL president starting in 1967. And when the proposed merger between the NFL and American Football League hit a realignment impasse, he broke it by agreeing to move the Browns to the AFC and persuading Steelers owner Art Rooney to do the same. Modell also sparkled on social fronts. In 2002, he made Newsome the league's first black general manager — a judicious move considering Ozzie's personnel savvy had been a major factor in the Ravens' Super Bowl season of 2000. "Every decision I've made, he supported me 100 percent," Newsome told the Cockeysville crowd. "In my mind, only one guy deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, and that's Art Modell." Of course, Art remains Public Enemy No. 1 in Cleveland — somewhat unfairly since he left the Browns' colors, logo and records behind and that the city was awarded an expansion franchise — and a new stadium — for the 2000 season. "I asked Art once if he was scared to go back to Cleveland," former Colts halfback (and famed emergency quarterback) Tom Matte said. "He said, 'The only thing that scares me is when a Neiman Marcus truck pulls up in front of our house.' " Typical, so typical. Billick put the Canton issue as well as anybody else. Referring to Modell's many charitable activities in Cleveland and Baltimore, the coach said, "Whether or not Art makes the Hall of Fame, we all know he has led a Hall of Fame life." Hear, hear!
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Screw Art and his idiot son David.
#gmstrong
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Quote:
Of course, Art remains Public Enemy No. 1 in Cleveland — somewhat unfairly since he left the Browns' colors, logo and records behind and that the city was awarded an expansion franchise — and a new stadium — for the 2000 season.
I don't think he deserves credit for any of that. 
...always have been, always will be...
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Forget the desertion of Cleveland because he really had no other choice. As former Browns and Ravens defensive end Rob Burnett put it, "Like any good businessman, he had to move on — and not in the middle of the night [as was the case when Colts owner Robert Irsay slithered off to Indianapolis in March 1984]."
He sure as heck didn't stand up and say "I'm sorry to announce, but to to an impasse with the city of Cleveland on a new stadium, I am left no other option but to move the team to Baltmore."
We don't have to agree with each other, to respect each others opinion.
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Quote:
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Of course, Art remains Public Enemy No. 1 in Cleveland — somewhat unfairly since he left the Browns' colors, logo and records behind and that the city was awarded an expansion franchise — and a new stadium — for the 2000 season.
I don't think he deserves credit for any of that.
No, he doesn't deserve the credit for that. The fans fought to keep the name, colors, history etc.
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Oh, and a new stadium for 2000???? Correct me if I'm wrong, but CBS has been open since 1999.
Looks like checking some basic facts isn't the strong suit of this particular writer.
#gmstrong
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Nearly 1,000 fans paid tribute to Art Modell this week in Cockeysville, Md.,
How approiate Cockeysville, Md. for the biggest one from the NFL. You can rot Art.
nordawg
The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.
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He could have taken all of our championship trophies and copyrights. And he has done alot for the NFL; but all in all he cared more about green than orange and brown.
SCREW ART!!!
Everyone has an opinion; few have the solution.
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What saddens me is that WHEN he is inducted into the HOF I know that there will be some moron who boos or does something even worse in front of a national T.V. audence . Look, we may not like the man and what he did to this city but in all honesty the city was not blameless and he does belong in the HOF.
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HE DOES NOT BELONG IN THE HOF. Sorry for yelling but it's a fact. He rode Rozelles coatttails. IMO he had little to do with TV and the NFL growning together.
He screw us. He screwed Clevelena, and Ohio. He was a horrible businessman who insisted on his special parking and concessions for the Muni, then bitched when we wouldn't build another. He could have gotten into the Jake/Q build but chose not to. He somehow lost money on the hightest selling team in merchandise at that time.
We had to sue to keep the name Cleveland Browns. If I remember correctly it was the largest class action suit at that time.
He is a horrible owner. He MAY be a good guy, but as an OWNER he sucks. He could have done the honorable thing and sold the team in Cleveland. I for one remember that the "bonus" or extortion money Baltimore gave him was abut equal to the inherintance tax on the franchise.
I hope he rots. When he dies I am going to pee on his grave. Yah I'm a horrible person but so is he.
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Sorry for the typos and all but to this day bringing up his name and the HOF gets me really, really, riled up. He is way way worse than Irsay. When the colts snuck off they were only averaging 43,000 fans and were in a fight to get into the playoffs.
We always average around 70,000 through thick or thin.
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Quote:
An Art worth hailing
Dick Heller
October 25, 2007
Only a guy named Dick could support Modell
I AM ALWAYS RIGHT... except when I am wrong.
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Go to HELL, Art Modell.
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Art Modell can rot in the everlasting fires of hell for all I care.
Last edited by Rambo; 10/25/07 05:26 PM.
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When the colts snuck off they were only averaging 43,000 fans and were in a fight to get into the playoffs.
The Colts left town in March of 1984. I agree with you though Modell sucks
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" Quote:
What saddens me is that WHEN he is inducted into the HOF I know that there will be some moron who boos or does something even worse in front of a national T.V. audence . Look, we may not like the man and what he did to this city but in all honesty the city was not blameless and he does belong in the HOF.
I agree.
"Forgive us of our trespass as we forgive those who trespass against us."
If we do a poor job of forgiving those who have wronged us, God will do a poor job of forgiving us.
I am not saying anybody has to like the guy, but it is time to forgive and forget.
I figure if the Amish families can forgive the guy who shot down their beautiful, innocent daughters, there is NO reason I can't forgive Art Model.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong ![[Linked Image]](http://www.dawgtalkers.net/uploads/small-gator-chomp.gif)
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Forget the desertion of Cleveland because he really had no other choice. As former Browns and Ravens defensive end Rob Burnett put it, "Like any good businessman, he had to move on — and not in the middle of the night [as was the case when Colts owner Robert Irsay slithered off to Indianapolis in March 1984]."
He sure as heck didn't stand up and say "I'm sorry to announce, but to to an impasse with the city of Cleveland on a new stadium, I am left no other option but to move the team to Baltmore."
This is what particularly bugs me,...he kept it under the rug. He didn't even ask US,....just take a wild ass guess at how many of us would have ponied up a $1000 apiece to have KEPT the team in Cleveland, made it a publicly traded company. How many of us would have bit on that,...?? I know I would have. How many of us would it have taken,...IF only 100,000 of us would have done that, isn't that a a hundred million dollars,...??
It's been so long ago, I don't remember what Maryland/Baltimore bought him out for.
Then again, you're back to the basics that every issue boils down to -- character. What are you made of ?? To end it the way he did is just plain wrong. He took the easy man's way out.
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I think you are kidding yourself if that many people would have come up with $1000.
If that many had called city hall or county commission, and said raise taxes it would have happened....but it didn't.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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Yeah Screw Art and David. I remember David on Triv's show saying Cleveland is his home and noway was he leaving. And Art declaring a moratorium. I'm not sure what a moritorium is but I think it means "Keep coming to the stadium and spending money until I can slip away".
Mike White is not an innocent here either.
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I think you are kidding yourself if that many people would have come up with $1000.
If that many had called city hall or county commission, and said raise taxes it would have happened....but it didn't.
Good point, but the problem there is, there are too many of us who didn't live in the confines of the voting area in question to have levied any influence. Why the hell would a Cuyahoga County Commissioner listen to anything someone from Austintown or Boardman said ??
You really don't think 100,000 shares of Cleveland Brown stock could be sold at 1,000 a piece ??
Overnite,...
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NFL by-laws prohibit the selling of team stock.
Green-Bay is the only team that is "publicly" owned.
That happened before the league set in place the rule.....all others have to be privately owned with at least one owner owning 51% of the club.(actually, the percentage may have to be higher than that)
That way the NFL has someone to look to for various reasons if need be.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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Ok, I'll buy that leagalese,...darn it.
But if it was legal, no doubt,..no problem.
Heck, drop the price to $100 a pop. Then you'd only need to sell a million raffle tickets.
Us Cleveland Browns Fans would eat those tickets alive,...in ten minutes.
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No doubt.
If the Browns sold stock you can bet I would own some, and would have some issued in certificate form just so I could have it framed and displayed on my office wall.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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He can rot. All his move did was delay the sale of his team by 5 years. He proved he was still a lousy business man once he arrived in rat city. He should have sold the team while he was in Cleveland, then he would have been assured of his place in the hall. All he did was force the NFL to expand another 2 teams, less than 5 years after the 95 expansion of 2 teams, and forced a realignment of the league. He still wound up selling his team in the end. A foolish move all the way around.
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The entire article is a bunch of bull.................
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Before the rotten food and urine is thrown onto me (Ravens fan in Md.) let me say a few things: 1. What Modell did to your city was WRONG !!!!! 2. What Al Davis, Bob Irsay, Bill Bidwell and the owners of the Rams and Oilers (Titans) did to their "respective cities" was WRONG ! ! ! With that being said, it's unfortunate that the actions of others can create such "hate and animosity" towards those who have hurt us in a way that the only way that we can "vent" our frustrations is through the damning of the cities and it's inhabitants who are truly without blame in this unfortunate business called football. It would be easier to go after the "owners" of these teams but as the media would want it, "Let's pit city vs. city" in these transactions....I only have one thing to say; I was in Giessen Germany back in March 1984 and I had about 25 of my friends try to talk me out of beating the crap out of this young kid (I was a mean SOB in the Army) who was jumping up and down because his city (Indianapolis) was just presented with an NFL team, My old Team the Colts. I actually went to talk to him and apologized to him about how I felt when he was going crazy over getting MY old team, but he was cool about it and we became pretty good friends (EMT's to be exact). I guess that where I am going with this is that regardless of what Modell did to you guys and even in the case with Irsay, I have forgiven them both for what has happened and can only pray that the present owners have learned about what impact they have on any NFL community when the talk of relocating comes into play and the local Govt. has no power over these guys. If it's of any consolation to you guys, I want to apologize for what the Modell family did to your city and the Cleveland Browns Franchise if it's acceptable to you all......
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Except that he didn't want to go out not winning the Superbowl.
Selling 5 years earlier would have dashed that hope.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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David Modell got kicked out of University School for smoking weed at ski club...hahahah when I went there they still told that story to the ski club so we wouldnt smoke weed.
![[Linked Image]](http://www.dawgtalkers.net/uploads/captainphil/browns bills sig 5.jpg) When it gets cold and snows and the wind blows, you gotta be able to run the ball. - TR
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Quote:
Before the rotten food and urine is thrown onto me (Ravens fan in Md.) let me say a few things:
1. What Modell did to your city was WRONG !!!!!
2. What Al Davis, Bob Irsay, Bill Bidwell and the owners of the Rams and Oilers (Titans) did to their "respective cities" was WRONG ! ! !
With that being said, it's unfortunate that the actions of others can create such "hate and animosity" towards those who have hurt us in a way that the only way that we can "vent" our frustrations is through the damning of the cities and it's inhabitants who are truly without blame in this unfortunate business called football. It would be easier to go after the "owners" of these teams but as the media would want it, "Let's pit city vs. city" in these transactions....I only have one thing to say; I was in Giessen Germany back in March 1984 and I had about 25 of my friends try to talk me out of beating the crap out of this young kid (I was a mean SOB in the Army) who was jumping up and down because his city (Indianapolis) was just presented with an NFL team, My old Team the Colts. I actually went to talk to him and apologized to him about how I felt when he was going crazy over getting MY old team, but he was cool about it and we became pretty good friends (EMT's to be exact).
I guess that where I am going with this is that regardless of what Modell did to you guys and even in the case with Irsay, I have forgiven them both for what has happened and can only pray that the present owners have learned about what impact they have on any NFL community when the talk of relocating comes into play and the local Govt. has no power over these guys. If it's of any consolation to you guys, I want to apologize for what the Modell family did to your city and the Cleveland Browns Franchise if it's acceptable to you all......
Nice job Mike,...thanks.
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He belongs as much as, say, George Halas or Paul Brown.
You've got to be kidding me!!!! He was:
a) a rotten owner,
b) a poor business man
c) canned a coach that won championships
d) played a major role in the greatest running back of all time retiring in his prime
e) pulled a fast one and ripped the hearts out of the loyal fans that supported him.
You rightfully get to a hall of fame by excelling in your field to the point you're among an elite few, not by the garbage he pulled to feed a swollen ego.
This quote from Ozzy is equally absurd:
Quote:
"In my mind, only one guy deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, and that's Art Modell."
Just how far up Arts arse does Ozzy have is head anyway?
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.
- John Muir
#GMSTRONG
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Kick his wheelchair over a bridge... With him in it.... Seriously...
I wasn't really aware of what was happening when the Browns were moving because I was young at the time, but if it happened now... I can't really put into words at how mad I would be, I understand everyones hatred towards him.
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Of course, Art remains Public Enemy No. 1 in Cleveland — somewhat unfairly since he left the Browns' colors, logo and records behind and that the city was awarded an expansion franchise — and a new stadium — for the 2000 season.
WE CAME BACK IN 1999 DUMBASS EDITOR!
PRO-BOWLER!
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The Oz could have the City by the short hairs if he wanted -- kinda like Lofton does -- but instead has always shown that he too he has a lot less character than he did football abilty.
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As my sign that I toted into the last game at Muni vs the bungles said: "Jump Art Jump!" Too bad the creep didn't.
SaintDawg™
Football, baseball, basketball, wine, women, walleye
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I don't think many of us have animosity towards Baltimore Mike.....its the businessman that caused the factors that went into his decision that we have problems with.
And that ESPN show about "Why we can't blame Art" is not the whole story.
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Except that he didn't want to go out not winning the Superbowl.
Selling 5 years earlier would have dashed that hope.
That win was never guarenteed by him moving. He was going under before the win, and would have went under had they won or not. If modell had allowed ozzie to take over the team when he was here, that win still would not have been guarenteed, even with the same draft picks.
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#gmstrong
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I hope that Art rots in agony on Earth right up till the time he begins his eternal rot in hell.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
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Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Three Cheers for Art Modell!
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