Art Modell Sees No Harmony Between NFL and AFL

Feb. 17, 1965 - The president of the NFL’s champion team said today that there was little chance for a peaceful resolution of the costly war between the two professional football leagues.

Arthur Modell (pictured) of the Cleveland Browns reported that there had been no discussion of the rival AFL at the NFL’s annual meeting in Palm Desert, Calif., this week. If a proposal for a common two-league draft of college players came up, he said he would vote against it.

Regarding a common draft, which the junior American League seeks, Modell said: “What good would that do us? We would be giving them a blank check. In four or five years, they might build up to a balance with us that they certainly do not enjoy now.”

The Browns, who drew 713,000 fans in nine Cleveland appearances last season, are not affected by AFL competition except in signing players, Modell said. He deplored the high cost of signing college stars sought by both leagues. 

“It’s the nature of the times,” he said, “the cost of doing business. We have to hang on.”

The 40-year-old New Yorker went on to brand the New York Jets’ signing of Joe Namath to a $400,000 contract as “ludicrous.”

“Pro football is not show business,” he said. “There are 39 other players on a team besides the quarterback. A center getting a $14,000 salary is to pass the ball back to a $400,000 quarterback? It’s not going to work. On the Browns, we have to protect the veterans’ salaries.”

An informal poll among other NFL executives failed to uncover any sentiment regarding peace with the AFL and curbing the competitive bidding for college players. George Halas, the 70-year-old leader of the Chicago Bears, was the only one to say that the two leagues might “get together some day.”

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