Baltimore gets the team. Cleveland gets to keep the tradition.
The NFL and Cleveland agreed Thursday night to the deal that would enable Art Modell to move his franchise to Baltimore, while allowing the city to keep the name "Browns" and the team's colors and heritage.The city also gets up to $48 million to build a 72,000-seat stadium for another NFL franchise - either through expansion or relocation - to begin play by 1999.
"There are a few teams in this country that are special - the Green Bay Packers, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Chicago Bears and the Cleveland Browns," said Cleveland mayor Michael White. "We get to keep the Cleveland Browns."
The agreement will be voted on today by the 30 owners and is expected to be approved. The deal also must be approved by the Cleveland City Council by March 8.
The approval of the move to Baltimore comes as a trial was scheduled to begin Monday in Cleveland on a suit the city filed against Modell seeking to keep the team in town. White said the city would drop the suit if the owners give the agreement final approval.
White said he would prefer that the city receive an expansion team, but would take a current team - if it meets league guidelines for movement and does not break an existing lease to move to Cleveland.
White said the stadium will be paid for as follows: $175 million, mostly from a local tax increase passed last November; and $28 million to $48 million provided by the league.
He said the league payment was "not a loan," but NFL spokesman Joe Browne said the league would be repaid by the team that moves into the city.
Modell expressed satisfaction with the deal.
"I am happy for the people of Cleveland," Modell said. "I am happy for the people of Baltimore, and I am happy most of all for the Modell family.
"It has been a long siege and I am happy it is almost over."
In addition to the payment for the stadium, the league agreed to pay Cleveland's cost in the court battle and Modell will pay $9.3 million in damages to Cleveland.
Approval of the agreement is likely, in part because Cleveland says it is satisfied and in part because the league believed there was no way it could stop the move in court.
This does not, however, end the problem of shifting franchises following a year in which five teams have either announced moves or relocated. The latest is the Seattle Seahawks, whose owner announced last week it was going to Los Angeles.
Several owners said they believe they have a case to halt the Seattle move, because the NFL reserved the market for itself. That might lead them to block the move and take on Ken Behring, the Seahawks' owner, in court.
Most of the day's meeting was spent on the collective bargaining agreement, which has been approved by the NFL Players Association, but stalled by the owners because of concerns over revenue sharing. The new agreement extends the current one three years until 2002.
And adding intrigue are reports Modell wants to hire Don Shula to work for his team once it moves to Baltimore. And Shula seems to be keeping his options open.