Re: Can Browns fans keep it classy during NFL moment of silence honoring Art Modell?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Beau Petard
IMHO, R-woodlawn has it right. What is to be gained by "forcing" something on customers that the NFL knows will likely not turn out well based on the intended purpose (i.e., to honor a guy who contributed a lot to the league) as well as inciting possible unwelcomed fan bahavior?
The term "Baltimore Browns" comes to mind when I read this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
The Excellector
At the end of the day, I can understand why Cleveland would still be upset. That was a football town to the core, and it was Modell's financial mistakes that led to the move, not the fans.
However, I just don't think there is a quality comparison to be made to Irsay.
I understand why they would still be upset. The image of your football team moving can, I guess, be traumatic. However, the problem is that in order for the Cleveland fan to even try making a comparison, they have to ignore the fact that the Irsay move was the climax of the bad relationship between Irsay and Baltimore. There was bad blood for years before then, bad blood that didn't exist between Modell and Cleveland before the move occurred.
The thing they say now is that Modell "erased" the good will he built up there. The man donated money for hospitals. I don't get how anyone on either side of the equation can just throw that out, even under the circumstances.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Ravenous1
If Steve Bischotti announced the Ravens were moving to LA (never gonna happen) for whatever the reasons, how could any of us ever forgive the man?
Doubt it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
The Excellector
That's probably what Cleveland fans want us to understand. We are coming at it from the outside looking in. It's very similar to people who clamor about how we wouldn't build a stadium for Irsay and how the fans stopped coming and how that's why Irsay left. They are looking at it from the outside looking in.
The breaking point is the person, the type of person that Irsay was and the type of person that Modell was.
They say he was a "bad businessman." They have a point. He personally secured a loan to sign Andre Rison, among other things to try to build a winner there.
I'm not saying that on that basis, they should have given him a stadium. What I'm saying is there is no real comparison to Irsay. Voters were lied to by Pressman. They wanted to build the new stadium downtown, plans for which had been on the books for years.