14 Biggest NFL Scandals of All Time

7. Controversial Relocations

Speaking about the owners, many of them have made some rather controversial decisions. We are witnessing Rams’ return to LA these days, but back in the eighties and the nineties, relocations were a common thing. A couple of most controversial moves were that of Colts from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1984 and relocation of Browns from Cleveland to Baltimore. Colts owner at the time, Robert Irsay decided to move the team to Indiana after his appeal for a new stadium in Baltimore was rejected. After the State of Maryland had threatened to seize the team, Irsay decided to pack in the middle of the night in fear of following morning’s possible events. Baltimore did, however, get its new NFL team 12 years later in 1996 when Art Modell, then owner of Cleveland Browns decided to move his team there despite promising he’d remain in Cleveland. The State of Ohio even gave into Modell’s demands for stadium improvements and passed the referendum which was later successful. Still, Modell decided to move away, and former Browns became the Ravens. Cleveland has, however, gotten their team back three years later in 1999, and reactivated Browns even hold the heritage rights of their previous team, so everything finished up fine in the end. Irsay and Modell, however, are still hated in Baltimore and Cleveland even though they aren’t among us anymore.