Cleveland Browns relocation controversy information
Complicated NFL franchise move
Cleveland Browns relocation controversy
Part of 1995 NFL season
Duration
December 1994–February 1996
Also known as
"The Move"
Cause
Financial constraints within Browns ownership, team value and revenue losses under owner Art Modell, state of Cleveland Stadium
Participants
Browns ownership, City of Cleveland, Art Modell, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, City of Baltimore
Outcome
The suspension of the Cleveland Browns franchise after the 1995 NFL season, the transfer of its assets and player contracts to an expansion franchise (the Baltimore Ravens) that begins play in 1996, and the revival of the Browns franchise (restocked via an expansion draft) in 1999
Cleveland
Baltimore
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Location of the home fields for the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens
The Cleveland Browns relocation controversy—colloquially called "The Move" by fans[1][2]—followed the announcement by Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell that his National Football League (NFL) team would move from its longtime home of Cleveland to Baltimore for the 1996 NFL season.
Subsequent legal actions by the City of Cleveland and Browns season ticket holders led the NFL to broker a compromise in which Modell agreed to return the Browns franchise to the league. The agreement stipulated that the Browns franchise, including its history, records and intellectual property, would remain in Cleveland. In exchange, the NFL agreed to grant Modell a new franchise in Baltimore (which was eventually named the Ravens) and the City of Cleveland agreed to build an NFL-caliber venue to replace the aging Cleveland Stadium.
Since it was deemed infeasible for the Browns to play the 1996 season in Cleveland under such circumstances, the franchise was officially deactivated by the NFL in February 1996. The NFL agreed to re-activate the Browns by 1999 either by way of an expansion draft or by moving an existing team to Cleveland. In lieu of holding both a dispersal draft for the Browns and an expansion draft for the Ravens, the NFL allowed Modell to effectively transfer the Browns' existing football organization to the Ravens. As such, the Ravens are officially regarded by the NFL as an expansion team that began play in 1996.[3] By 1998, the NFL had ruled out moving any of the league's then-30 teams to Cleveland, committed to stocking the roster with an expansion draft, and sold the Browns franchise to Al Lerner, a former minority owner of the franchise under Modell, for $530 million.[4] The re-activated Browns acquired players through this expansion draft and, in 1999, resumed play in a new stadium that replaced the demolished one.[5][6]
This compromise, which was unprecedented in North American professional sports, has since been cited in franchise moves and agreements in other leagues, including ones in Major League Baseball (MLB), Major League Soccer (MLS), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the National Hockey League (NHL).
^Dyer, Bob (2007). The Top 20 Moments in Cleveland Sports History: Tremendous Tales of Heroes and Heartbreaks. Gray & Company. pp. 277–291. ISBN 9781598510300. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
^"LeBron James makes his pick: He's going to Miami". NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Associated Press. July 9, 2010. Archived from the original on July 11, 2010. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
^Sandomir, Richard (February 9, 1996). "PRO FOOTBALL;N.F.L. Maps Out Cleveland-to-Baltimore Route". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
^Sandomir, Richard (September 9, 1998). "Lerner Wins Browns for $530 Million". New York Times. Archived from the original on August 3, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2012.
^Sandomir, Richard (September 2, 1998). "PRO FOOTBALL; The Price of Cleveland's Heart". The New York Times. p. D1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
^Sandomir, Richard (September 9, 1998). "PRO FOOTBALL; Lerner Wins Browns for $530 Million". The New York Times. p. D10. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
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