Tributes and recollections of former Baltimore Ravens owner Art Modell have been pouring in since word of his death broke Thursday.
For decades, Modell was one of the most visible of the NFL owners, having taken a lead role in negotiating the league’s first major television contract and in establishing Monday Night Football.
Not one to shy away from controversy, Modell bought the Cleveland Browns in 1961 and fired the team’s namesake coach Paul Brown two years later.
Later on, Modell moved the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore, leaving the football-intense Ohio city without a team for several years.
It was reportedly a move Modell felt he had to make, but it’s also the move he is most closely associated with and it has left him with many detractors.
Eric Edholm, senior editor with Pro Football Weekly, told ESPN-1500 in Minneapolis Thursday that the story of the NFL’s history could not be told without mentioning Modell’s name and that he thinks the owner should be in the Hall of Fame.
“The fact that he is not in the Hall of Fame does not make sense to me,” Edholm told listeners.
The move to Baltimore left an entire region bitter and bought Modell a number of enemies, however. And that issue alone, according to Edholm, is keeping him from being enshrined.
I think he probably should be in the Hall, though the backlog of players we’ve discussed time and again makes it unlikely he’s selected anytime real soon. It lends some credence to the argument made a few years back by Sports Illustrated reporter Peter King that “contributors” should be considered separately from players and coaches.
I’m sure his death will revive discussion of his merits as a candidate. It may already be doing so. His contributions to the game were more great than bad. What are your thoughts? Will he get his day?
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he needs to get out of the semifinalist chair and into the finalist room first
He has been a finalist before so I would say his chances in making the final 15 in 2013 or soon remain very possible. But given the overall quality and depth of the remaining 2012 finalists plus the new 2013 first time players, in my view it could be very difficult for him to move into final 10 and then the final 5 for election. It is possible, as one never knows how the voters can change their opinions given a push to get someone elected as such efforts have gotten others elected in recent years. Personally I would be disappointed if Modell suddenly jumped right back into the final 10 and 5 and got elected over more deserving players who have made it that far in recent elections and deserve their time to be elected.
I have no problem with his eventual election to the HOF as although moving the Browns upset plenty of fans, they have the team “back” with better stadium and improved ownership and management (although no team success since their “return”, but then again the last few decades saw little success under Modells ownership with the exception of a few years in the mid 1980s) and what I understand about the history of the NFL Modell played an important part way beyond his role as Browns owner and in many ways exceeding the negative aspects of the move of the Browns to Baltimore.
yeah but he needs to be in the hall of fame
So do the many players not elected in recent years, and the 1st time players in 2013. HOF really needs to consider adding one spot just for contributors/coach say every 3 elections or so where they would not complete directly against modern players, similar to the nominating and selection process for the two senior candidates each year, just increase total maximum allowed to 8 every 3 years or so for consideration of a contributor/coach.
Good Idea Paul
very good idea