Why is it not even a conversation about what Baltimore thinks of Bob Irsay?

It is because Cleveland is enabled to wallow in self-pity. And Why is that?

A. Because the NFL has chosen Cleveland and wants them to be the poster child of what happens to cities when they lose the NFL.

B. Because the NFL has chosen Baltimore to be the bad guys that stole the Browns. They aren’t legitimate. Remember Baltimore didn’t get Jacksonville because they were supposed to get a museum instead.

C. A & B Both are true

Baltimore has moved on, Cleveland is Grudgeville.

The NFL continues to Enable bad behavior, victimhood, on Cleveland. Suck it up. You at least got to keep the team name.

The Browns didn’t play in cleveland for 3 years but then they came back as the Browns with a Brand new shiny stadium that houses a bunch of overweight drunk dogs and the SAME terrible team. Boo Hoo, you had to miss your team for couple of years but all the memories of the mistake on the lake, the fumble, the drive, Jim Brown, Chris Palmer, Tim couch, Mike Holgram etc. remain fresh and alive in cleveland. Art Modell is responsible for a lot more good memories in Cleveland than the taking football away for a couple of year.

I get the anger during the no football years but i but move on. Art Modell wasn’t Perfect but he was a heck of a lot more than any of his haters.

The weren’t the first team to move and they won’t be the last, but somehow Modell is the horrible villian? The Rams moved, the Cardinals moved, the Raiders moved…a couple of times.

If you want to blame someone, blame the people that chose Jacksonville as an expansion team and skipped over Baltimore.

I am a native Balitmorean and refuse to (a) participate in this mass public self-deception and (b) support an organization like the Ravens, which represents everything a true Baltimorean ought to hate. After what Bob Irsay did to us, how can we possibly embrace and defend Art Modell without being the biggest smelly hypocrites in the universe?

I am ashamed to see all the disingenuous, dishonest, and cowardly Ravens apologists stinking up the blogosphere with their gassy Modell tributes.

I guess you could say, in Bob Irsay and Art Modell, Baltimore got exactly the NFL owners it so richly deserves. I would rather be one of OJ Simpson’s kids than a Ravens fan.

The City of Cleveland had to sue to keep the colors name and records.

The greedy one was sued for the name and colors, and a deal that was struck allowing the city to retain them. Otherwise, his Baltimore Browns ( as they were called at the news conference announcing the move) would have had to play home games at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

Modell himself promoted the lie in an attempt to save his reputation. Mission NOT accomplished.

He also was offered a part of the Gateway project but refused. And Art being the genius that so many purport him to be surely knew that a public appeal to the fans would have placed pressure on the local politicians and he would have his new stadium.

He did it for the 75 million because he was in financial trouble and needed the cash.

Modell said “I had no choice.”

He had two choices: Sell the team and make an astronomical profit, or try to keep it in his family by sticking it to one of the most loyal fan bases in all of sports.

He chose wrong and, at least for now, it has cost him enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and his reputation with most fans outside of Baltimore.

His death changes nothing. I am sorry I won’t get the chance on Sunday to give him what he earned and so richly deserves.

As I grow older, now in my 60s, I’ve attended more funerals than I ever dreamed I would. Dad then mom, aunts, uncles, distant relatives and close friends, neighbors and acquaintances die and I do my duty and pay my respects.

Not one time, while paying my respects, did anyone talk about the wealth or material things each of the deceased had accumulated in their lifetime…

….BUT, those paying their respects would talk among themselves about how the deceased treated others.

Art Modell hurt a lot of people in his lifetime and many will never forgive him.

It’s probably best if those wishing to honor Art Modell before the Browns/Eagles game, do so in private.

Part of the reason Baltimore had to wait so long for football was Art Modell. Art screwed Cleveland only after he helped screw Baltimore out of an expansion team to pave the way for the move. How anyone could defend him in the move is unfathomable. His contributions to the game include firing Paul Brown, pushing arguably the greatest running back ever into early retirement, firing Bill Beliecheik over the telephone and taking the team from Cleveland. Art sure didn’t dream up Monday Night Football but he did offer to host because one thing you can always count on in Cleveland, even until today, sunshine, rain or snow, winning record or not, is that Browns fans will show up and support the team.

Art was millions in debt and no new stadium would fix that. He rewarded loyalty with deceit, years of support with selfishness and turned his back on the fans who faithfully filled his stadium and pocketbook for decades. He left, mid-lease, with no time to vote on a new stadium because after decades of support, Art knew from experience there was only one way that vote would end.

_______________

Very well said! I second you on all of it. I’m a Bengals fan…and Paul Brown is my favorite figure in all of football, past or present. So obviously we can both agree that Modell was dirty, bullish, manipulative businessman. That’s part of why he was good at pushing through Monday night football and other network deals. But it’s why he’s not liked very much either. And what he did in Cleveland and the way he went about it was disgusting. Although not a Brown’s fan, as an Ohioan, it was painful. But I do agree with Florio, the mans just died, and it would be wrong to allow a situation where he is going to be booed when a moment of respect is asked for. Mainly because it would be painful for his family. On the other hand, I find completely appropriate and necessary to point out just how many bad things this guy did. Regardless of his accomplishments for the league in regards to the networks. I think he hurt the league in so many ways over the years, that it outweighed any good he did. And that is why he was passed over for the HOF.

Hey Mojo, I’m a Clevelander and go eff yourself.

Rot In H@## (RIH) fArt.

Modell is dead. He can’t hurt Cleveland fans anymore. I wish a successful healing process to his family, and I have no doubt that his death is part of the healing process for Browns fans, too.

Smart move. You’d be mistaken to expect a stadium full of people in any town to act with class, it’s just not going to happen. Not a dig at Cleveland, it would be a bad idea anywhere.
=====================================

Sad but true. You could never get a stadium full of people to act with class.

Except in Green Bay.

YOU DON’T KNOW THE STORY.

You’ve been telling each other crap for the last 16 years to make each other feel better.

Go back to the CFL where you belong.