Under heavy security, Browns Owner Art Modell "was whisked"
into a Cuyahoga County court to tell why his team should not be
forced to stay in Cleveland, according to this morning's Akron
BEACON JOURNAL. Modell, accompanied by bodyguards, said the
Browns face "financial ruin" if the team cannot move to Baltimore
next season. Modell: "The Browns are in a very precarious
financial situation right now and it's worsened in the past two
weeks." Closing arguments are set for today in the case in which
the city of Cleveland has sued both the Browns and Modell-owned
Cleveland Stadium Corp., "claiming a lease and sublease
obligating the team to play in the stadium through 1998 can't be
broken." Earlier, Cleveland Mayor Michael White testified that
the Browns' move would bring "irreparable harm" to the city.
White and Modell did not meet "before or after Modell's
appearance in court, nor did they appear to make eye contact
during Modell's hour on the witness stand" (Arnie Rosenberg,
Akron BEACON JOURNAL, 11/22). The city "attempted to minimize"
losses the team would endure in Cleveland, calling potential
sponsors and a season ticket holder as witnesses (Jon Morgan,
Baltimore SUN, 11/22).
CHARGE IT: Huntington National Bank introduced a credit
card that could help pro football in Cleveland. The bank will
donate one-half cent of each $1 spent with its "Stadium Visa
Card" toward renovation of Cleveland Stadium or construction of a
new facility (Mult., 11/22).
NAME GAME: An editorial in today's Baltimore SUN states the
NFL "ought to wise up" in establishing a firm policy that allows
for a "long-established team name" to stay in the city of origin
(Baltimore SUN, 11/22).
