Really? Scum?
In January 1984 an intoxicated Irsay appeared before the Baltimore media and exclaimed, "This is my goddamn team!" (what a class act BTW) He reiterated that, despite problems, the rumors that he was moving the team were untrue. With negotiations over improvements to Memorial Stadium at an impasse, one of the chambers of the Maryland state legislature passed a law on March 27, 1984, allowing the city of Baltimore to seize the Colts under eminent domain, which city and county officials had threatened to do. Irsay later claimed the city promised him a new football stadium, something they later denied, citing the team's poor attendance. The next day, fearing a dawn raid on the team's Owings Mills headquarters, Irsay accepted a deal offered by the city of Indianapolis,
Indianapolis Mayor, William H. Hudnut III, contacted John Burnside Smith, then CEO of the Mayflower Transit Company, who arranged for fifteen trucks to pack the team's property hurriedly and transport it to Indianapolis in the early hours of the morning of March 29. An ecstatic crowd in Indianapolis greeted the arrival of its new NFL team, and the team received 143,000 season ticket requests in just two weeks.
Baltimore was without a National Football League team until 1996, when Art Modell moved the Cleveland Browns there. Initially they were to be named the Baltimore Browns. However, in order to minimize controversy related to the teams historical identity, similar to that of the Baltimore Colts, Modell agreed to change the name of his team to the Ravens. Cleveland was promised a new team by 1999 that inherited the Browns' name, colors, and history.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Irsay
While both men, being business men, sought to move their teams to a more profitable market and sought the best deal and negotiated for new stadiums, the big difference between Irsay and Modell is that Modell was upfront his intentions of moving his team to Baltimore whereas Irsay (I’m a good Catholic) lied repeatedly about his intentions to move to Indianapolis right up until the Mayflower vans showed up (and yes, it was in the middle of the night and during a snowstorm – I remember it well). Irsay also had ran the Baltimore Colts into the ground and despite their dismal performance and while attendance dropped somewhat, fan support here in Baltimore for the Colts was still strong. (I was at the second to last Baltimore Colt game ever played in Baltimore. In the upper 40’s and in the pouring rain, BTW, the Colts lost, yet again, but Memorial Stadium was still packed.)
And while Memorial Stadium was old and outdated, it was not in nearly as bad and in a dilapidated state as the old Cleveland Brown’s stadium. IMO, the Maryland legislature trying to pull “eminent domain” was stupid and probably pushed Irsay to play his hand, but in truth, despite his repeated denials, the move to Indianapolis had been in the works, secretly for quite some time. And he had been shopping the team around to other cities including Memphis and Phoenix while flatly denying he was doing so.
But to add injury to insult, Irsay flatly refused to let any of the Colts memorabilia stay in Baltimore, changed the team’s history to exclude any mention of Baltimore (Johnny Unitas played for the “Indianapolis” Colts doncha know), actively blocked Baltimore’s efforts to get a new NFL franchise for years and trashed the city of Baltimore and Baltimore Colts fans at every opportunity. Modell did not do any of this to the city of Cleveland and to the Browns fans. Modell let Cleveland retain the team name, colors and history and did not block Cleveland’s efforts to get a new team and IIRC, even voted for Cleveland getting a new team.
Many of us former Baltimore Colt fans, while we were ecstatic to get another team, were also very sympathetic to and supportive of the Cleveland Browns fans, knowing how hard it is to lose the team we loved. Most of us here in Baltimore didn’t want the new team to be called the Browns or for the team’s history to be renamed “Baltimore” as this was what was done to us when the Colts moved to Indianapolis.
Any of you who think that Modell is scum just like Irsay, watch this (even Bob Irsay’s own son Jim admits that his father was a lying drunk.) Sad:
ESPN 30 for 30 : The Band That Wouldnt Die
While I understand the bitterness that Cleveland fans feel over Art Modell moving the team to Baltimore, it in no way compares to what Irsay did to Baltimore. Irsay was scum. Modell was head and shoulders above Irsay and a class act in every way.
RIP Art.
AND GO RAVENS!
One other thing, I believe the Ravens welcomed the Colts Marching Band (which didn’t go to Indy) to play at their opening game in the uniforms they wore for the Colts games.
BTW, does Indiana have a horse industry?
He's scum and he like a lot of the other NFL owners get the tax payers to foot the Bill so he can make millions.
Like I said. SCUM!
Great post thanks!