Art Modell, former Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns owner, dies at 87

[PittsburghSucks]

I won't speak ill of the dead.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bal-art-modell-former-baltimore-ravens-and-cleveland-browns-owner-dies-at-92-20120905,0,1985687.story

Art Modell, an entrepreneurial owner who restored an NFL franchise to Baltimore in 1996 and delivered a Super Bowl championship four years later, died Thursday of natural causes at Johns Hopkins Hospital at the age of 87, according to the team and his son, David.

"Sadly, I can confirm that my father died peacefully of natural causes at four this morning," former Ravens president David Modell said in a statement. "My brother, John Modell, and I were with him when he finally rejoined the absolute love of his life, my mother Pat Modell, who passed away last October.

'Poppy' was a special man who was loved by his sons, his daughter-in-law Michel, and his six grandchildren. Moreover, he was adored by the entire Baltimore community for his kindness and generosity. And, he loved Baltimore. He made an important and indelible contribution to the lives of his children, grandchildren and his entire community. We will miss him."

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Modell had suffered health problems for many years. In 1983 he had a heart attack and underwent quadruple bypass surgery. In early 1996, he suffered a near-fatal blood infection while in his vacation home in Florida. In 2002, he endured both a mild heart attack and a mild stroke.

Modell was a visionary in the NFL's boom years. Yet, even as the league he helped create grew into a billion-dollar industry, he was forced to relocate Cleveland's legendary Browns to Baltimore after the 1995 season to avoid bankruptcy and losing the team.

Beset with lingering financial issues in Baltimore, Modell sold minority interest in the Ravens to Anne Arundel County businessman Stephen J. Bisciotti in 1999 and then yielded controlling interest in 2004.

?He was a very excellent owner, a highly-respected owner,? said Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson, one of Modell's closest friends in the league.

?In my mind we're going to remember him as a great guy, a fellow with the greatest sense of humor, and a good friend who did a lot for the NFL. I saw him stand up for what he thought was best for the league.?

Before Wellington Mara died in 2005, the owner of the New York Giants had this to say to The Sun about Modell's influence over 43 years in the NFL:

?He should be remembered certainly with respect, almost with reverence I would say, because of the contributions he made to the league through the many years.?

What earmarked Modell's stewardship both in Cleveland and Baltimore was his sense of civic involvement. He was a major fundraiser in Ohio, both for charities and political causes. He continued that philanthropical work in Baltimore, where he chaired a $100 million fund drive to build a new cardiovascular tower on Orleans Street for the Heart Institute at Johns Hopkins.

?The one thing that predominates wherever he is, is community,? said Ernie Accorsi, who worked eight years as general manager of the Browns under Modell.

?He was involved in charities and symphonies. He dives into every walk of life. He was very active in the Republican party [in Cleveland]. He's a tremendously giving person.?

Modell's death brings to an end a remarkable life at the center of America's golden age of sports. He was one of a handful of influential NFL team owners who arranged the league's blissful marriage with television, and watched as football overtook baseball as the nation's most popular sport.

And the congenial Modell, a former Madison Avenue advertising executive, pioneering television producer and certified sports fanatic, was at the center of the action throughout the NFL's climb.

The son of an electronics retailer, Modell grew up in an orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Brooklyn called Borough Park. His early youth was one of relative luxury for him and his two older sisters, with chauffeurs and vacations on the New Jersey shore. He became an avid sports fan following baseball's Brooklyn Dodgers and football's Giants.

But his father, George Modell, lost everything in the 1929 stock market crash and Depression that followed. The elder Modell declared bankruptcy and became a traveling wine salesman. He died while on a business trip in 1939, when his son was 14.

The family was left penniless and Modell was forced to drop out of high school and get a job. He lied about his age to get a job as a 45-cent-an hour electricians helper at Bethlehem Steel Corp.'s New York shipyard.

Modell often said the early death of his father, to whom he was very close, and the family's sudden loss of status left him with a drive to make his own fortune. ?I wanted to make something of myself. I had no inheritance, nothing to fall back on,? he said in one interview.

[CS85]

I know a lot of weird Browns fans are secretly high-fiving one another over this; despite that nonsense it's certainly a sad time for his family and the Ravens fans to whom he built a title team.

[Sport]

It's barely 7:45 am and my facebook newsfeed has two statuses about his death. Each one has 6 likes.

Liking death, c'mon. He never killed anyone.

[Sodboy13]

Art Modell just got Clevejacked.

[walkerws]

It's barely 7:45 am and my facebook newsfeed has two statuses about his death. Each one has 6 likes.

Liking death, c'mon. He never killed anyone.

Sometimes a facebook like is just acknowledgement. Unless it's followed by an unpleasant comment.

[JQK]

The most important owner outside of Wellington Mara in NFL history... despite how Cleveland feels...

[Seadragon76]

RIP.

While he may not be liked in Cleveland for what he did, the fans in Baltimore are more then happy they have NFL football back and they have Art Modell to thank for that.

[Sport]

It's barely 7:45 am and my facebook newsfeed has two statuses about his death. Each one has 6 likes.

Liking death, c'mon. He never killed anyone.

Sometimes a facebook like is just acknowledgement. Unless it's followed by an unpleasant comment.

what if the status is "rot in hell you old bastard"?

[crashcarson15]

It's barely 7:45 am and my facebook newsfeed has two statuses about his death. Each one has 6 likes.

Liking death, c'mon. He never killed anyone.

Sometimes a facebook like is just acknowledgement. Unless it's followed by an unpleasant comment.

what if the status is "rot in hell you old bastard"?

This is going to get very embarrassing very quickly.

[BBTV]

If someone wrongs you like Clevelanders feel like they were wronged, wouldn't it be better to cheer the losses of people close to them that they care about as opposed to their own death? Wouldn't you want the person to be sad and lonely as "punishment" rather than just die? Unless it's someone who had power over you and who's life meant that you were suffering (like a dictator or something), it would seem that if you hated them, you'd want them alive and "suffering" (not through any kind of intentional infliction of course... though I wouldn't put it past many Clevelanders in this case.)

[Sodboy13]

The most important owner outside of Wellington Mara in NFL history... despite how Cleveland feels...

Ever hear of George Halas?

[JQK]

The most important owner outside of Wellington Mara in NFL history... despite how Cleveland feels...

Ever hear of George Halas?

...and he was a stick in the mud and fought change. Wellington championed revenue-sharing, the merger/Super Bowl, and the fu*king football used is named after him.

Wellington > Papa Bear

[Chawls]

I won't speak ill of the dead.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bal-art-modell-former-baltimore-ravens-and-cleveland-browns-owner-dies-at-92-20120905,0,1985687.story

Art Modell, an entrepreneurial owner who restored an NFL franchise to Baltimore in 1996 and delivered a Super Bowl championship four years later, died Thursday of natural causes at Johns Hopkins Hospital at the age of 87, according to the team and his son, David.

"Sadly, I can confirm that my father died peacefully of natural causes at four this morning," former Ravens president David Modell said in a statement. "My brother, John Modell, and I were with him when he finally rejoined the absolute love of his life, my mother Pat Modell, who passed away last October.

'Poppy' was a special man who was loved by his sons, his daughter-in-law Michel, and his six grandchildren. Moreover, he was adored by the entire Baltimore community for his kindness and generosity. And, he loved Baltimore. He made an important and indelible contribution to the lives of his children, grandchildren and his entire community. We will miss him."

Like the new Ravens Insider Facebook page.

You had me until that last sentence right there. Regardless, RIP Art Modell.

[illwauk]

What gets me about Art Modell is that he's from Brooklyn and grew up a Dodgers fan. A lot of times, I can begrudgingly accept (even if I don't agree) that certain decisions get made because the person is operating is operating in a mindset of "just business." But in Modell's case, he knew exactly what he'd be doing by moving the original Browns to Baltimore and still chose to go through with it. I don't think you have to be one of the sad, myopic Clevelanders who tend to frequent these boards to say that his legacy is tarnished by his greed and the "franchise free agency" it opened the door for.

In short, whatever one of those stereotypical Clevelanders has to say about Art Modell is fine by me... don't speak ill of the dead be damned! Maybe that makes me a terrible person, but most of you already knew that.

[NJTank]

What he did to Cleveland was wrong, and when he fired Paul Brown it was terrible, but otherwise he was a great owner in the NFL. One great thing he did was take care of Ernie Davis after he was drafted and came down with Leukemea.

Oh and he was an important owner, but besides the Mara.

Al Davis, Lamar Hunt, Sonny Werblin and Art Rooney were more important too.

[IceCap]

In short, whatever one of those stereotypical Clevelanders has to say about Art Modell is fine by me... don't speak ill of the dead be damned! Maybe that makes me a terrible person, but most of you already knew that.

Unless someone's a legitimately terrible person, no, I don't think one should speak ill of the dead. Of course judging "terrible" is subjective, but I think we can agree that ultimately SPORTS! isn't important enough for relocating a team to qualify.

Now I understand Cleveland fans being upset in how he moved them (even if they did get the sweetest deal any city's ever gotten after losing a team), and losing a team always sucks, but wishing a man to "burn in hell" for what he did in the confines of the sporting world just strikes me as....well stereotypical Cleveland fan behaviour. Modell never killed anyone. He never molested anyone. He never knowingly allowed molestation to occur under his watch. He never tried to deny his fellow man basic human rights. He moved a sports franchise from one city to another. Not a pleasant thing to do, but ultimately I don't think you can consider him a bad person because of it.

RIP Mr. Modell.

[crashcarson15]

stereotypical Cleveland fan behaviour.

[infrared41]

Let's get one thing straight about Art Modell, it wasn't like he just woke up one morning and thought "hey, I should move the team to Baltimore." The city of Cleveland played a role in losing the original Browns. Most Cleveland fans aren't willing to acknowledge that it wasn't entirely Modell's fault.

[bosrs1]

What gets me about Art Modell is that he's from Brooklyn and grew up a Dodgers fan. A lot of times, I can begrudgingly accept (even if I don't agree) that certain decisions get made because the person is operating is operating in a mindset of "just business." But in Modell's case, he knew exactly what he'd be doing by moving the original Browns to Baltimore and still chose to go through with it. I don't think you have to be one of the sad, myopic Clevelanders who tend to frequent these boards to say that his legacy is tarnished by his greed and the "franchise free agency" it opened the door for.

In short, whatever one of those stereotypical Clevelanders has to say about Art Modell is fine by me... don't speak ill of the dead be damned! Maybe that makes me a terrible person, but most of you already knew that.

Frankly I was wondering when Cleveland is holding the parade. Before or after his funeral.

Seriously though, if Clevelanders want to speak ill of him, that is their right. And frankly I wouldn't blame them. He did many great things in his life, but he also did at one terrible thing to one city. And for most in that town he'll never be forgiven for it. Was it as bad as Penn State, etc... no. But it was still a harm to a proud city and its people. One that despite being given their team back in name, and history, and stats, they've never recovered from.

[The_Admiral]

Different circumstances, of course, but the morning I heard Dollar Bill kicked it, I distinctly remember doing a nice, slow fistpump and saying "Yessss," so however you Clevelanders wanna "mourn" this one, I won't judge.