|
Irsay had appeared in Baltimore January 1984. He appeared before the media intoxicated, and somewhat incoherent. He exclaimed, "This is my God damn team!", and reiterated that, despite the problems, he had no intention of moving the team. [1], but with negotiations over improvements to Memorial Stadium at an impasse, the Maryland state legislature passed a law on March 28, 1984 allowing the city of Baltimore to seize the Colts under eminent domain, which city and county officials had previously threatened to do. Irsay later claimed the city promised him a new football stadium, something they later denied, citing the team's poor attendance. The low point of the battle was when an apparently inebriated Irsay ranted against the city and state governments on a local television news broadcast and reiterated a threat to leave Baltimore. The next day, Irsay, fearing a dawn raid on the team's Owings Mills headquarters, quickly accepted a deal offered by the city of Indianapolis and then contacted his good friend, John B. Smith, who was the CEO of the Mayflower Transit Company, and arranged for fifteen vans to hurriedly pack up the team's property and transport it to Indianapolis in the early hours of the morning.
This should explain it. This is an article I found. I always thought it was because Irsay was promised a new stadium, and never got one.
|
