The Greatest Letter Ever Printed On NFL Team Letterhead

Deadspin ^ | November 21, 1974 | James N. Bailey

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Epic. I could not get Dan Rather to vouch for its journalistic authenticity.

[Nervous Tick]

>> I could not get Dan Rather to vouch for its journalistic authenticity.

Well, it’s kinda like Santa Claus: I WANT to believe it because it’s such a heartwarming story, so for the time being I’m going to.

[Hot Tabasco]

Now that was funny! ROFL-CGU

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

There is a lawyer with that name who graduated from Michigan in the early 1970’s and is now practicing in Idaho. I suspect it’s authentic. Young lawyer is annoyed, uses company letterhead to complain, get royally slapped down.

[Vision]

Young lawyer is annoyed, uses company letterhead to complain, get royally slapped down.

If you mean the lawyer was disciplined...that's doubtful considering it was the general counsel of the stadium.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I was referring to the young lawyer who sent the letter. The guy who sent the letter was a recent law school graduate who sent the letter using his firm’s letterhead. Notice that it was not typed by someone else, unlike the Stadium’s letter, (”JNB:bjn” means that someone with the initials bjn typed it for someone with the initials JNB) and does not cite a client.

I suppose when the stadium got a “lawyer letter” they sent it to legal, and the legal staff saw through it immediately. Notice that Art Modell (God love him) was copied on it. He almost certainly green lighted it before it was sent. That was just a notice to the (then) twerp that the general council was not acting on his own.

[freekitty]

Dale O. Cox is on the letterhead of the original letter.

[SamAdams76]

Now that’s the kind of curt, to-the-point responses we need more of. Especially with respect to these hypersensitive politically correct busybodies we are dealing with today, complaining about Christmas trees, candy canes and such.

[Hat-Trick]

True or not, I absolutely love the sentiment of the response.

[1rudeboy]

I missed that the GC copied Modell, LOL.

[oh8eleven]

Notice that Art Modell (God love him)
Modell better hope God loves him, because Browns fans sure as hell don't.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I suspect that the guys on the left hand column are partners, and the guys on the right are associates, i.e., employees (sorted by time with the firm, perhaps?), but I do not know for sure. Still, it looks like he was acting on his own and “hired” his employers law firm to provide the letterhead.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

In a famous incident, writers Pete Hamill and Jack Newfield wrote their own list of the three worst villains of the 20th century on a piece of paper to settle a discussion they were having over lunch. They each wrote the same three names in the same order: Hitler, Stalin, Walter O’Malley.

Add Art Modell to the list.

[Vermont Lt]

If you read down the comments on the page, you will see that the guy that wrote the story tracked down the original author. It is authentic.

[Holen1]

“Add Art Modell to the list.”

bob irsay was worse. May he rot in hell.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Based on a comment. The comment could be a lie. Still, I’m inclined to believe it. I suspect the Ravens (the current name of the franchise that was the Browns in 1974) will have something to say about it.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

My brother told me that story and I guessed the three entries, in the correct order, btw.

[oh8eleven]

Pete Hamill
One of all-time my favorite writers.
Walter O'Malley and Horace Stoneham should be tied for third on that list. I lived in NYC and was a Giants fan.

[Holen1]

“Walter O’Malley and Horace Stoneham should be tied for third on that list.”

I would offer to add to the list: jack kent cooke and his butt-boy, paul tagliabue.