Cleveland Browns relocation controversy
The agreement stipulated that the Browns franchise, including its history, records and intellectual property, would remain in Cleveland.
Since it was deemed infeasible for the Browns to play the 1996 season in Cleveland under such circumstances, the franchise was officially deactivated by the NFL in February 1996.
While there have been other subsequent franchise moves with various franchise agreements, there have been two times when there was a compromise virtually identical to the Browns–Ravens agreement: when the San Jose Earthquakes of MLS suspended operations from 2006 and 2007 while their organization transferred to the new Houston Dynamo, and when the Arizona Coyotes of the NHL suspended operations in 2024 while their organization transferred to the new Utah Hockey Club (in the latter case, the Coyotes were effectively folded).
[8][7] Modell, believing that his revenues were not endangered, decided not to participate in the Gateway Project that built Jacobs Field for the Indians and Gund Arena for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
[9] Modell's assumptions proved incorrect, and Stadium Corporation's suite revenues declined sharply when the Indians moved to Jacobs Field in 1994.
Even today, many of the league's clubs are owned by businesspeople (or their heirs) who, while relatively well-off by the standards of the time, founded or purchased a football team which has since appreciated in value at a far higher rate than whatever other business interests they might have originally been involved in.
However, even with those considerations in mind, Modell's net worth had always been relatively meager compared to most other principal owners in the NFL, despite his long influence in league circles.
Modell was recruited in large part because the NFL was desperate to avoid any perception of franchise instability within its ranks, especially in the face of competition with the then-fledgling (but well-financed) American Football League (AFL).
On the one hand, the eventual negotiation of a merger with the AFL ended the prospect of expensive bidding wars for players in an era when true free agency did not exist, thus allowing the Browns to remain competitive on the field despite a tight budget.
Nevertheless, Modell spent most of his tenure as Browns owner in financial difficulty, especially as interest rates soared and the costs of operating an NFL team escalated with the value of the league's franchises.
As the 1960's came to a close, the Browns appeared in the NFL's final pre-merger championship game, yet Modell's finances were so perilous that they were a major factor in his decision to lobby for the Browns (along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Colts) to be moved to the American Football Conference upon completion of the merger in 1970 in exchange for financial compensation from the other NFL and AFL owners.
For example, he tried to transfer liability for several personal bad loans to the Browns organization, prompting one of his minority partners to sue him.
Sports Illustrated predicted that the Browns would represent the AFC in Super Bowl XXX at the end of the 1995 season, and the team started 3–1, but they then lost their next three games.
[15][16] While this was happening, Browns minority owner Al Lerner was privately prodding Modell to consider moving to Baltimore.
He urged Modell to contact John Moag, the newly installed Maryland Stadium Authority chairman.
[11] On November 6, 1995, with the team at 4–5,[16] Modell announced in a press conference at Camden Yards that he had signed a deal to move the Browns to Baltimore for the 1996 season.
Years later, longtime Browns general counsel Jim Bailey told The Athletic that Modell was "an emotional wreck" when he signed the memorandum.
[22][23] Comedian Drew Carey returned to his hometown of Cleveland on November 26, 1995, to host "Fan Jam" in protest of the proposed move.
[19] Browns fans reacted with anger to the news,[21] wearing hats and T-shirts that read "Muck Fodell".
The transaction was similar to the establishment of Baltimore's preceding NFL team, the 1953–83 Colts, whose owner Carroll Rosenbloom was awarded the player contracts and related football assets of the moribund Dallas Texans.
The settlement stipulated that the reactivated team for Cleveland would retain the Browns' name, colors, history, records, awards, and archives.
An additional stipulation was that the Browns would be placed in a division with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals to continue the teams' longstanding rivalries.
Focus groups, a telephone survey, and a fan contest were held to help pick a new name for Modell's team.
From there, focus groups of a total of 200 Baltimore area residents reduced the list to six, and then a phone survey of 1,000 people trimmed it to three: Marauders, Americans, and Ravens.
The Seahawks, Buccaneers, Bengals, Lions, Cardinals, and Bears used the threat of moving to coerce their respective cities to build new stadiums with public funds.
From its beginning, the odd number of teams and the ensuing awkward scheduling was considered a temporary arrangement pending the addition of a 32nd NFL franchise.
Following Houston's return to the NFL, Los Angeles became the favored destination for owners threatening to move their teams until the St. Louis Rams finally returned to Los Angeles for the 2016 season,[40] followed by the San Diego Chargers (who had previously called L.A. home in the early days of the American Football League) one year later.
The reactivated Browns have had only four winning seasons since returning to the NFL in 1999, with records of 9–7 in 2002, 10–6 in 2007, 11–5 in 2020, and 11–6 in 2023, earning wild card berths in the playoffs in 2002, 2020, and 2023.
[43] General manager and former Browns tight end Ozzie Newsome (who was in a front-office role under Modell in Cleveland) remained with the Ravens until his retirement in 2018.
However, the rivalry began to heat up on the Pittsburgh side when the Browns defeated the Steelers 48–37 in the 2020 Wild Card playoff round.
