CANTON, Ohio — Browns fans are likely going to be frustrated with this one.
Once again, beloved former linebacker Clay Matthews Jr. will have to wait at least another year if he wants to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, having failed to make the list of 12 finalists in the Class of 2023's Seniors Committee. More controversially, former owner Art Modell is a finalist, having advanced to the next round in the Coach/Contributor category.
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Modell owned the Browns from 1961-95, and was at the helm for the club's last NFL championship in 1964. He was highly active in the community, and earned respect around the league for his television contract negotiations as well as his hiring of minorities like Ozzie Newsome for prominent front office positions at a time when many owners weren't doing so.
However, Modell's legacy would forever become tarnished in the fall of 1995, when he shocked and angered fans by announcing he would be moving the Browns to Baltimore. He claimed he "had no choice" due to monetary concerns, but others have pointed out the bulk of those concerns came from his own poor financial decisions.
Modell got his wish in what was technically a "new" franchise in the Ravens, who won a Super Bowl in 2000. The Baltimore community mourned his death in 2012, but he remains a mostly reviled figure in Cleveland, not just for the move but for decisions such as the firing of Paul Brown and a dispute that led to Jim Brown's early retirement. To date, he has failed to make the Hall of Fame despite being a finalist multiple times.
The Coach/Contributor Committee will meet again on Aug. 23 to select only one name from the list of 12 who will be considered for election to the Hall. The other 11 finalists are as follows:
- Television executive and producer Roone Arledge
- Coach Don Coryell
- Coach Mike Holmgren
- Front-office executive Frank "Bucko" Kilroy
- Patriots owner Robert Kraft
- Coach Buddy Parker
- Coach Dan Reeves
- Steelers vice president Art Rooney Jr.
- Coach Mike Shanahan
- Coach Clark Shaughnessy
- Front-office executive John Wooten
Two of the additional finalists have Browns ties, as Wooten was an All-Pro guard for Cleveland in the 1960s while Holmgren led the organization as president from 2010-12, albeit to a lackluster 14-34 record. Their efforts in Northeast Ohio are not officially being considered, though, as Wooten is being honored for his front office tenures in Dallas, Philadelphia, and Baltimore and Holmgren for his title-winning coaching in Green Bay and Seattle. Former coach Marty Schottenheimer, who took the Browns to two AFC Championship Games in the late '80s, did not make the list after being named a semifinalist.
Matthews spent 16 of his 19 NFL seasons with the Browns, and remains the franchise's official all-time sacks leader with 62. He was a one-time finalist on the Modern Era ballot but failed to make the final cut, and is now relegated to the Seniors slate due to his career having ended more than 25 years ago.
The Seniors Committee will select three nominees each of the next three years for final consideration, instead of the usual one or two. Among the 12 finalists in 2022 is Northeast Ohio native and Ohio State legend Randy Gradishar, who was a five-time All-Pro as part of the Denver Broncos' "Orange Crush" defense.
In addition to Gradishar, cornerback Everson Walls is also onto the next round of consideration. Walls was a three-time All-Pro in Dallas and won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants before playing parts of his final two seasons in Cleveland, intercepting two passes and recording 1 1/2 sacks over 17 games from 1992-93.
The Seniors Committee will meet again on Aug. 16 to select its three nominees. The remaining 10 finalists are:
- QB Ken Anderson
- LB Maxie Baughan
- LB Chuck Howley
- RB/DB Cecil Isbell
- DL Joe Klecko
- OL Bob Kuechenberg
- CB Eddie Meador
- LB Tommy Nobis
- CB Ken Riley
- WR Sterling Sharpe