JUMP TO:
The Browns are undoubtedly one of American sports’ most notorious franchises. Whereas other teams are known best for their successes — titles, crowns, gold and silver — the Browns are often defined more by their failures.
The Drive. The Fumble. 30+ years of quarterbacking futility and more. Then, there was The Move, a gesture that saw Cleveland’s lovable losers make a mad dash to Baltimore, much to its fanbase’s chagrin.
Here’s a look back at the controversial move that continues to linger in Browns fans’ heads more than two decades later.
MORE: Everything you need to know about Shedeur Sanders’ net worth
Why did the Browns leave Cleveland?
The Browns played their games in Municipal Stadium, a dilapidated multi-use field they shared with MLB’s Cleveland Guardians (then the Indians). The city and Cuyahoga County erected new grounds for the Cavaliers and the then-Indians in 1994. But the Browns were the odd-man out, forced to keep on plying their trade at the decaying white giant that was Municipal.
The plumbing was spotty. Coaches and players had to hang their clothing on nails on the wall. The grounds crew, unable to get grass to grow on the infield after baseball season, would simply paint the ground green.
The stadium technically belonged to the city. But then-owner Art Modell agreed to incur operating and capital improvement expenses related to the 25-year lease he signed in 1973.
City attorney Fred Nance and Cleveland mayor Mike White reportedly attempted to lock down a $175 million renovation and crafted a sin tax to help pay for it. But Modell called for a moratorium on negotiations between the team and the city until after the 1995 season.
MORE: Explaining the NFL’s overtime rules
Modell began threatening relocation as soon as the end of 1994, telling the Browns board of directors that he was unconvinced an upcoming ballot measure to finance Municipal Stadium would pass. If it didn’t, he claimed, “the decision would be easy: The Browns would move.”
Under-the-table relocation talks took place between Modell, billionaire Al Lerner and Maryland Stadium Authority chairman John Moag throughout 1995. Come midway September 1995, the two parties struck a deal. They kept the agreement on the hush until late-October when Modell informed league officials of his decision.
“I saw a change in him. I saw a very definite change in him,” former 49ers general manager and president Carmen Policy told The Athletic in 2020. “As (negotiations) got worse and worse, he became more mercurial and unpredictable and at times angry and bitter. Very, very bitter like he had been rejected by a lover to whom he had been so good and so kind and so thoughtful and nurturing. I think depression actually set in. His financial condition was very precarious. He really was kind of all over the place. His decision-making was definitely impacted by the emotional turmoil he was experiencing.”
MORE: How many teams has Joe Flacco played on in his career?
Art Modell was the owner of the Browns from 1961-1996. He facilitated Cleveland’s departure to Baltimore ahead of the 1996 season, heralding the start of the Ravens‘ franchise.
Modell was one of the NFL’s most influential owners, embracing promotions and community involvement during his Browns tenure. Cleveland captured an NFL title in 1964. It hasn’t hoisted one since.
Modell’s decision to announce the Browns’ move mere days before the public referendum he requested for an extension of a sin tax to fund stadium renovations made him a pariah in his adopted hometown. He was hemorrhaging money at the time of the move. He hadn’t expected the referendum to pass. Nonetheless, it did, making Modell even more reviled in Cleveland.
MORE: 16 NFL stars you didn’t know were also drafted by MLB teams
Modell tried to bring the Browns’ name to Baltimore, but a negotiated settlement saw Modell leave the Browns’ name, colors and team stats and records for a replacement franchise to be established in Cleveland.
The Browns went 278-233-7 across Modell’s 35 seasons as owner, qualifying for the postseason on 17 occasions. He served as the Ravens’ owner for an additional eight seasons, capturing his only Super Bowl title in 2000. In 2003, he sold Baltimore to minority owner and Maryland businessman Steve Bisciotti.
Modell died of natural causes on Sept. 6, 2012. He was 87 years old.
MORE: Revisiting Mary Schottenheimer’s playoff letdowns with Chargers, Chiefs, Browns
Cleveland Browns relocation lawsuit
The city of Cleveland launched a lawsuit against Art Modell, the Browns, the Maryland Stadium Authority and its director, John A. Moag Jr., arguing that the Browns breached their stadium lease. The Browns were technically required to play home games at Municipal Stadium well beyond the 1995 season.
Cleveland’s lawsuit facilitated many more fan-based suits to come to fruition. After years of deliberation between the league, Modell and officials from Cleveland and Maryland, all parties reached terms on agreements. Modell agreed to relinquish control of the Browns’ title, iconography and history and paid to break the lease, while the city of Cleveland agreed to drop its lawsuit.
MORE: What is pass interference in the NFL?
Issued in 1996, Ohio Revised Code 9.67 — the Modell Law — requires professional sports teams playing in “tax-supported facilities” to give a city six month’s notice before relocating. Locals and residents also must be granted an opportunity to purchase a franchise before it relocates.
“No owner of a professional sports team that uses a tax-supported facility for most of its home games and receives financial assistance from the state or a political subdivision thereof shall cease playing most of its home games at the facility and begin playing most of its home games,” the law states.
A 2025 amendment means the law only applies to teams moving outside of the state of Ohio. The directive was invoked in 2018, preventing the MLS’ Columbus Crew from relocating to Texas. The Crew were eventually purchased by Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, an Ohio resident.
MORE: Ranking the 13 greatest Ravens players ever, from Lamar Jackson to Ray Lewis
Did the Browns become the Ravens?
No. For a brief period, the Ravens looked destined to take on the history and identity of the Browns. However, the settlement between Art Modell, the NFL and the city of Cleveland saw Baltimore relinquish any claim to the Browns’ franchise history. The Ravens are their own NFL franchise, formally established by Modell and Co. in 1996. The Browns, meanwhile, were re-established in 1999 and subsequently granted access to the decades worth of history it had accrued prior to its temporary exit.
MORE: What are the most valuable franchises in the NFL?
When did the Ravens become a team?
The Ravens became a fully-fledged NFL franchise in 1996. They started their time in Charm City with aplomb, selecting Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft. Both players went on to earn enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That duo served as the foundation for Baltimore’s 2000 Super Bowl-winning side.
MORE: How the college overtime system works and how it compares to the NFL
Why was Baltimore chosen as new home?
Baltimore has its own history of relocation woes, having suffered the same fate when the Colts jetted to Indianapolis in the dead of night on March 28 and March 29, 1984.
Charm City found itself on the other side of the decision in 1995. The reason for Cleveland’s move to Baltimore was a simple one. Modell wanted a new stadium. And Baltimore was willing to foot the bill, with Moag and the Maryland Stadium Authority offering Modell a $220 million colosseum for the franchise.
MORE: Explaining NFL’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty
Reactions to Cleveland’s relocation were frenzied, to say the least. Browns supporters largely felt betrayed by Modell’s actions.
“It was the most amazing sucker punch I’ve ever seen a city take in regards to a sports team,” longtime Cleveland sportscaster Jim Donovan told ESPN in 2020. “Because it was a haymaker that just coldcocked the town out of the blue.”
One day after Modell announced the move, the Browns faced off against the Oilers. Tensions were high as sponsors turned on Modell.
“It basically looked like the stadium had been on fire,” former Browns general manager Phil Savage said. “And of course, it was a morgue atmosphere. And we got beat and just sort of staggered through the rest of the year.”
MORE: What is a catch in the NFL?
Did the Ravens move back to Cleveland?
The Ravens never moved back to Cleveland. Rather, the Browns reemerged as an expansion franchise in 1999 — albeit sporting the same name, colors and history as their predecessor.
When they did take the field, they did so in a new stadium. Municipal Stadium was demolished one year after the Browns’ move. In its dying embers, a new ground was established: FirstEnergy Stadium, now known as Huntington Bank Field.
MORE: NFL teams with male cheerleaders
When did the Browns come back to Cleveland?
The Browns have always belonged in Cleveland. They didn’t get their formal return until the 1999 season, three years after their beloved franchise was exiled by ownership.
That iteration of the Browns was owned by Lerner, a billionaire who figured to herald a promising new generation of Cleveland football. That didn’t quite happen, at least not under Lerner’s tutelage. The Browns dropped their season-opener to the Steelers, 43-0. They made the playoffs once in the next 21 seasons.
MORE: Explaining the NFL’s virtual measurement system
Can the Browns legally leave Cleveland?
At present, it’s unclear whether the Browns can legally leave Cleveland. The Modell Law technically states that no owner of a professional sports franchise playing in a tax-supported stadium in Ohio can relocate its team unless the city it plays in is given six-months notice and an opportunity to purchase the team.
The city of Cleveland told Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam that it would invoke the Modell Law if they attempted to relocate the franchise to Brook Park, a suburb far from Cleveland’s downtown area.
The Modell Law was amended to only apply to teams relocating outside of the state of Ohio, ostensibly opening the door for the Haslams to move the franchise to Brook Park as they so desire. However, it’s still unknown whether Ohio state legislature will allow for such a change to be applied to an ongoing relocation process.