Former NFL Player Chris Canty Makes Shocking Claim About Browns Fans Loyalty

Canty wrongly recounted why the franchise was taken from Clevelad in 1995

Dec 28, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns mascot Brownie the Elf is carried by fans in the stands during the second half against the New York Jets at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports / Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Browns fans have stuck by their team through some of the lowest points in franchise history.

The 0-16 season in 2017 comes to mind. A 1-32 record in two seasons with Hue Jackson at the helm. The Johnny Manziel experience. The list goes on-and-on. No moment was lower than Art Modell's devestating decision to move the franchise to Baltimore.

It's a reality that still doesn't sit well with much of the fan base and one that remains a touchy subject. Which is why when former NFL player Chris Canty started spouting falsehoods about why the team was taken away from Cleveland nearly 30 years ago , Browns fans came out in full force to call him out on it.

"If the fans were so good then why did the team leave initially," Canty asked on his ESPN radio show "Unsportsmanlike Radio," along with Michelle Smallmon and Evan Cohen. The conversation started with Smallmon creating a list of the best fan bases in football and inexplicably – in the eyes of Cohen – omitting Cleveland.

Canty went on to question the team's departure further as the segment continued.

"Their team was removed because of the lack of interest from the fans!," he later exclaimed. "They couldn't get money for a new stadium. The fans are the ones that eventually vote on the politicians who make the decisions on whether or not they're going to build a new stadium."

“The Browns fans are the best in all of sports.”@EvCoRadio responds to @msmallmon leaving out Cleveland in her top five fan base list https://t.co/eWqogzL7Cd pic.twitter.com/agIKEzY8W6

— UNSPORTSMANLIKE Radio (@UnSportsESPN) July 12, 2024

Tell us you don't get Cleveland, without telling us you don't get Cleveland.

Just about the only thing Canty got right about the Browns move in 1995 is that plenty of legal quibbling over financing a new stadium was at the root of the situation – like most NFL team moves. However, it certainly wasn't for a lack of "support from the fans," as the ex-defensive tackle claims.

Modell's decision to hoard the suite revenue at Cleveland Municipal Stadium wound up coming back to bite him once the Gateway Project was approved and saw the Cleveland Indians move out of the facility and into their own complex. That left Modell scrambling to pay off the debts he had accrued to purchase the team in the first place. He ultimately pitched city politicians on adding a referendum to the ballot that would allow for $175 million in sin taxes to help refurbish the outdated stadium.

NFL Throwback recently released a "Mount Rushmore" for every NFL team. Do you agree with the 4 #Browns legends they picked? https://t.co/8L2C4ce9SG

— 𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝙶𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗 (@Spencito_) July 11, 2024

All the while, Modell was dubiously plotting to move the team to Baltimore, even announcing the move before the referendum vote even happened, hoping the vote would fail, except it didn't. Cleveland fans showed up and approved the plan, then Modell moved the team anyway.

The true story of the Browns being moved to Baltimore directly refutes everything Canty claimed about the so called "lack of support" Clevelanders have for their team.