Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, November 22, 1993 TAG: 9311220096
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"I can remember that like it was yesterday, not 30 years ago," the Cleveland Browns owner said as he recalled Nov. 22, 1963 - the day President Kennedy was assassinated.
"I was driving to practice at League Park when I heard the news on the radio," he said.
As soon as Modell (the only NFL owner of that time who is still running his team) could get to a phone, he called NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle and suggested he postpone the seven games the NFL had scheduled two days later - on Sunday, Nov. 24. The NFL was then a 14-team league.
Rozelle, though, listened to the advice of presidential press secretary Pierre Salinger, who felt the the president would have wanted the games to go on. Modell said Rozelle also was influenced by Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson, who decided to have his team play.
Another reason Rozelle went ahead was that Dallas and Washington were on the road.
By contrast, AFL commissioner Joe Foss called off his league's games.
There is evidence the Kennedy family was in favor of the games being played. King Hill, who was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback at the time, told Sports Illustrated that Robert Kennedy visited the Eagles a couple of weeks later and thanked them for playing.
But Rozelle was to regret the decision. It was severely criticized, and he has since said it was the worst mistake of his career.
"Red Smith [the late syndicated columnist] never forgave Pete. He reminded him for years and years that it was a terrible mistake in judgment," Modell said.
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB