Bill Belichick Didn't Get a Glowing Recommendation From Art Modell

Bill Belichick was the head coach of the (original) Cleveland Browns for the five seasons before they moved to Baltimore. Belichick went 36-44 in the regular season and took the franchise to the playoffs once. He was fired shortly after the ’95 season and went back to working with Bill Parcells from ’96 to ’99. In ’00, he took over the New England Patriots. He must have had a great interview because not all of his references were stellar. Via MMQB:

"In fact, one team owner, when Kraft was about to make this momentous decision, advised against it. Kraft remembers this owner’s exact words. “He said if I did it, I’d be making the biggest mistake of my life,” Kraft said, his voice taking an ominous tone. The owner: Art Modell of the Baltimore Ravens. The looming catastrophe: hiring Bill Belichick."

Art Modell was a real Biff Tannen type, just trying to ruin everything for everyone but himself.