Ravens Owner Art Modell was featured on ESPN's "Up Close
Prime Time" with Roy Firestone, his first nationally televised
interview since he moved his club from Cleveland earlier this
year. After Firestone cited a past interview in which Modell
said he would never leave Cleveland, Modell responded,
"Circumstances changed, dramatically." Modell again noted that
$800M was appropriated to downtown construction in Cleveland
while the city "paid no attention to my needs." Firestone
detailed previous business decisions, including questionable
signings, and asked why Cleveland should "have to bail [him] out"
when he "over and over again made bad business decisions."
Modell: "How do you account for what the Indians got after not
doing anything for over 45 years?" On what he would say to the
over 200 chapters of the Browns Fan Club worldwide: "Tell 'em to
become members of the 'Ravens' Roost.' What do you want me to
say?" Regarding the SI cover at the time of the move, which
depicted Modell "sucker-punching" a Browns backer: "That was
terrible. They don't know a damn thing that led up to the
decision. They didn't have the foggiest idea at SI what was
going on in Cleveland." On the whole episode: "I never told a
lie in my whole life. I never betrayed anybody in my life."
Modell, pointing to a photo of the late Art Rooney, and the fact
the Steelers voted against his move: "He'd turn over in his
grave if he knew that Pittsburgh voted against me. ... He would
have been for Art Modell." Firestone asked if Modell believes he
will one day enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Modell shrugged
and said, "Not now. Whatever opportunity I had went out the
window when I moved the franchise." Firestone added that Modell
"stands as a new lord in Baltimore. His deal with the Ravens
puts his financial burdens to rest. But then, he must live with
the rest. In a way, he become everything he resisted, everything
he railed against in the past. His old values collided with a
new morality, yet he refuses to see the irony in that." Modell
on the state of the NFL: "I wish we were smaller. I think what
hurt us more than anything else, and I may have been the biggest
contributor to that, are the television contracts. Everything is
too big. Player salaries are too big, TV contracts are too big.
The greed factor of many of these players and agents -- owners,
networks, ESPN. ... The values are lost" (ESPN, 8/9).
RESPONSE FROM PLUTO: Columnist Terry Pluto responded to the
Modell's ESPN interview and commented on Modell's claim that he
has "never betrayed anyone." Pluto notes, "Tell that to the
millions of Browns fans who will have no football this fall"
(Akron BEACON JOURNAL, 8/11).
WATCH YOUR HEAD: During Saturday's Giants-Ravens game at
the Meadowlands, Ravens center Steve Everitt wore a Browns
bandanna for the national TV audience. He was asked to remove it
by the team's equipment manager who told him the league wanted
him to take it off. But Everitt kept it on, adding "I wanted
[Cleveland fans] to know we haven't forgotten about them."
Modell: "I thought we were having another halftime show"
(Baltimore SUN, 8/11)....The Ravens sold 18,000 tickets on
Saturday, including all 6,000 for their home opener vs. the
Raiders. Only 30,000 seats remain for all other home games
(Baltimore SUN, 8/11).
