Former Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens owner Art Modell passed away early Thursday. He was 87.
David Modell said he and his brother, John, were at their father’s side when he “died peacefully of natural causes.”
Modell served on the NFL-AFL Merger Committee, breaking the impasse for realignment of the two leagues by moving the Browns to the AFC.
“I believe very strongly that Art Modell is one of the most important figures in the history of the modern NFL,” former NBC-TV president Dick Ebersol said. “He and Pete Rozelle developed the magic formula that married the potential of television to the game.”
Unfortunately, Modell’s reputation was forever tainted when he moved his franchise from Cleveland to Baltimore.
