The Rest of the Story.......Modell Left......
Gries Sports Enterprises lawsuit
In 1979, Stadium Corp. and Modell were implicated in a lawsuit brought by Browns minority shareholder Robert Gries of Gries Sports Enterprises, who successfully alleged that Stadium Corp. manipulated the Browns' accounting records to help Stadium Corp. and Modell absorb a loss on real property that had been purchased in the Cleveland suburb of Strongsville as a potential site for a new stadium. The lawsuit, Gries Sports Enterprises v. Cleveland Browns Football Co., 26 Ohio St. 3d 15 (1986), was a leading Ohio case concerning a corporate officer's fiduciary duty toward shareholders.
[edit] Gateway Sports project clash
Modell declined to become a tenant in Cleveland's new Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex, instead asking for improvements to Municipal Stadium. Because Modell's Stadium Corp. still controlled Municipal Stadium, it may have made more business sense for Modell to try to keep the Indians at Municipal, particularly as the baseball team began to show signs of improvement both on the playing field and at the box office. (The Indians went on to play in the World Series in 1995 and 1997, and sold out 455 straight games at Jacobs Field from 1995 until 2001.) The City of Cleveland agreed to make the improvements to Municipal Stadium which were to be funded through an extension of the sin tax, which was used to provide funding for the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex.
[edit] Modell relocates to Baltimore (1996)
While the City of Cleveland, Ohio agreed to improve Municipal Stadium, Modell issued a public moratorium on discussions relating to the stadium issue or the future of his franchise. It was during this time that Modell entered into secret discussions with the State of Maryland to move the franchise to Baltimore for the 1996 season. The announcement of the move occurred several days before the public referendum on the extension of the sin tax that would fund the improvements on Municipal Stadium as Modell had originally requested. But, Modell wrote a letter to Cleveland's mayor and Ohio's governor saying that the passing of the referendum may not be enough to keep the Browns. Modell also wanted that information to be made public. Plain Dealer Nov 7, 1995. Commentators have speculated that the timing of the announcement was to cause the referendum to go down in defeat and thus allow Modell to make the case that he was not receiving the public support he needed to remain viable in Cleveland. Nonetheless, the referendum was passed by a wide margin. Modell was assisted in the move by Alfred Lerner, who would go on to become the new owner of the reactivated Cleveland Browns franchise in 1998. Modell's move returned the NFL to Baltimore for the first time since the Colts left for Indianapolis after the 1983 season.
[edit] Hostile fan reaction to move
The reaction in Cleveland was, not surprisingly, very hostile. Modell had promised numerous times never to move the team. The Brooklyn native mentioned numerous times how saddened and betrayed he and other Brooklynites had felt when the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1957. He had also publicly criticized the Baltimore Colts' move to Indianapolis, and he had testified in favor of the NFL in court cases where the league unsuccessfully tried to stop Al Davis from moving the Oakland Raiders from Oakland to Los Angeles. Numerous reports of quotes from Modell circulated stating that he would not visit Cleveland during games between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns because he feared for his life and physical being.
[edit] The City of Cleveland vs. Cleveland Browns
The City of Cleveland sued Modell, the Browns, Stadium Corp, the Maryland Stadium Authority, and the authority's director, John A. Moag Jr., in City of Cleveland v. Cleveland Browns, et al., Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Case No. CV-95-297833, for breaching the Browns' lease, which required the team to play its home games at Cleveland Stadium for several years beyond 1995. Surprisingly for Modell, many Baltimore fans sympathized with Clevelanders' outrage.
[edit] Browns franchise deactivated, to resume in '99
Eventually the NFL and the parties worked out a deal. The Browns' franchise would be deactivated for three years. Modell knew the Baltimore Browns name wouldn't go over well in Baltimore. So he used the name as a bargaining chip with the NFL. He would leave behind the Browns' name, colors and heritage (including team records) for a replacement franchise, in the form of either a new team or a relocated franchise. In return, Modell was allowed to take the franchise rights, players and organization to Baltimore as the new expansion Ravens. Cleveland received a loan from the NFL to help with the cost of a new stadium. The Browns returned to the NFL in 1999 with Lerner, a friend of Modell as well as a minority owner of Modell's original franchise and MBNA CEO and owner, assuming ownership, after Lerner outbid other interested parties for the right to buy the reactivated Browns' franchise.
PUN-dit
Karma: 158/25
6331 Posts
Posted on 2012-01-05 at 01:57:30.
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It all about the money.........
Modell moved the Cleveland team after "secert" talks with Baltimore. Yeah, he didn't sneak out at night but he still was just as dastardly.
He only paid 4 million for the team and only $250,000 of that was his money. He rented the Stadium from the city for $1.00 a year and through his own company and charged the Brown and Indians rent, using that money to to run the stadium. He rolled the Browns money back in so the Indians were paying big. He lost his captive tenant and didn't want to join Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex. He got a big deal from Baltimore and lined his pockets.
I'm sorry Baltimore lost the Colts, but they got a team the same way they lost one, big money for the owner.
PUN-dit
Karma: 158/25
6331 Posts
Posted on 2012-01-05 at 02:15:11.
Edited on 2012-01-05 at 02:16:06 by Odyson
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Shadows of the Empire
LOTPWII
Is that an active game?
What's Up?
I thought Atlanta was much better then the Giants, but scoring only 2 points! Hell and that was given to them by a bone headed play by Manning geez.....
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