By a vote of 25-2 with three abstentions, NFL owners agreed
to a "delicate compromise" to allow Art Modell to move his Browns
to Baltimore this fall and put a team in a new Cleveland Stadium
partially funded by the NFL by '99. According to the Baltimore
SUN, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said the "extraordinary
lengths" the league went to in order to have teams in both were
due to the history of those cities, "and were unlikely to be
repeated." The two no votes were from the Bills' Ralph Wilson
and the Steelers' Dan Rooney (Jon Morgan, Baltimore SUN, 2/10).
Tagliabue: "We've preserved the Browns franchise, we've
preserved the history of the Browns, we've preserved everything
about the Browns for the Cleveland fans. But in order to
accomplish that we had to be a temporary stand-in." Cleveland
Mayor Michael White: "It is a settlement that achieves our
goals. It keeps our team in Cleveland, it keeps our name in
Cleveland, it keeps our colors in Cleveland, and I think, as the
commissioner has already said, it keeps our football heritage in
Cleveland" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 2/9).
WORDS OF WARNING: Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones: "It is a
dangerous thing for the NFL to be involved in building stadiums"
(Ed Werder, DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2/11). In Baltimore, Vito
Stellino writes, by letting Modell move without proving the
Browns fit league relocation guidelines, "the NFL may have set
precedents that could come back to haunt the league." Raiders
Owner Al Davis noted that former Patriots Owners Billy Sullivan
and Victor Kiam, both of whom are suing the league, could "gain
ammunition" from the Browns deal (Baltimore SUN, 2/10). Davis
also charged Oilers Owner Bud Adams, Modell and Seahawks
President David Behring -- all members of the Finance Committee -
- with being part of a "conspiracy" to control franchise movement
for themselves (John Clayton, Tacoma NEWS TRIBUNE, 2/10).
MEDIA REAX: Mike Lupica: "They want us to believe this is
a happy ending for all concerned, and it's not. Whatever spin
they put on this, the Cleveland Browns died this week." Bill
Conlin: "This will go down as the most egregious rape of a city
since the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants were moved out of
New York." Mitch Albom: "The bottom line of this whole episode
is still that the league is more afraid of the legal system and
the courts than it is interested in directing the future of what
is good for the sport" ("Sports Reporters," ESPN, 2/11). In
Baltimore, Ken Rosenthal writes, "The guidelines for relocation
are a joke" (Baltimore SUN, 2/10). In Akron, Terry Pluto writes,
"Never forget who ultimately is going to foot the bill for this
deal between the city of Cleveland and the NFL. You will" (Akron
BEACON JOURNAL, 2/10). But Bart Hubbuch writes, "What the
grumblers should realize is just how close Cleveland came to
getting zilch" (Akron BEACON JOURNAL, 2/11). In Dallas, Cathy
Harasta writes, "This solution fit the circumstances, but did
nothing to promote long-term franchise stability in any place
other than Cleveland" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2/10). In St. Louis,
Bernie Miklasz writes, "The NFL squandered its credibility by
establishing different standards for different owners" (ST. LOUIS
POST-DISPATCH, 2/12).
