By Jay Skurski
Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr. issued the following statement on the passing of former Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens Art Modell on Thursday.
“I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Art Modell. Art and I were good friends and while we remained competitive in respect to our teams, we shared many laughs over the years. He was an influential figure in our league and was respected tremendously within the NFL ownership group. Art was a loving family man and he and Pat made a great team. I want to extend my deepest sympathies to his sons David and John and the entire Modell family and all of his friends.”
Modell died at the age of 87 of natural causes.
For a good column on Modell's legacy in Cleveland, read Joe Posnanski's column from his website, sportsonearth.com.
