PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : AFC : City Says Modell Deal Was Illegal
Art Modell cleared the way for the Cleveland Browns to move to Baltimore with a faulty lease revision between his team and the Modell-controlled stadium management company, city attorneys claimed.
Not so, responded Modell’s attorney, Robert Weber, who called the city’s claim a rehash of its lawsuit filed Monday.
At issue is an amendment signed Oct. 27 between the Browns and their landlord, the Cleveland Stadium Corp. The company controlled by Modell manages the city-owned Cleveland Stadium under a lease with the city.
The revision would allow the Browns to move if they paid the city $3.6 million.
The original 1974 lease between the stadium corporation and Browns requires the team to play all regular season home games in Cleveland through 1998. Weber said the city doesn’t have a lease with the Browns and thus cannot force them to stay in Cleveland.
City attorneys predicted that the lease change would convince a judge to block the Browns’ move. Both sides must return to court Nov. 20.
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