Press Release Source: Ken Lanci On Wednesday April 20, 2011, 4:10 pm

CLEVELAND, April 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Cleveland Browns season ticket holder Ken Lanci filed a revised complaint against the National Football League (NFL) and its member organizations, including the Cleveland Browns, today in the Cuyahoga Court of Common Pleas.  Lanci also filed two motions with the Court. The motions seek to have the Court end the lockout and prevent the Browns from collecting Lanci’s ticket money during the lockout.

The suit alleges that the Browns are not meeting the commitments of their contract with Lanci per the Permanent Seat License (PSL) Agreement.  The suit also alleges that the NFL and other NFL teams are interfering with Lanci’s contract rights.

“Since the NFL has not listened to reason, my aim is to pressure them through litigation to respond,” Lanci said. “These amendments ask the Court to strike down the Browns’ Lockout Ticket Policy as unconscionable because it requires season ticket holders to pay their ticket money up front, even though the Browns are participating in a lockout that prevents games from being played.”

“The litigation asks that the Browns live up to their end of the bargain and provide us games to watch this fall,” Lanci said. “Any damages collected would be donated to charity. We need to remind the NFL that the only reason they have dollars to fight over is because of the fans,” he added.  

The amendments also add a count to prevent the Browns from using a clause in the PSL which the Browns could argue excuses them from playing games in the event of a strike or labor disturbance. “We believe the Browns should not be able to take advantage of a Strike Clause when they and other NFL Teams are the ones responsible for the work stoppage. These amendments are necessary because the players’ litigation in Federal Court has stalled and the Court has ordered mediation, rather than ruling on whether the lockout will be lifted,” he said.

The lawsuit, originally filed on March 25th, asks for in excess of $25,000 in damages.  ”Other season ticket holders would need to file their own actions in order to receive damages, but success here almost certainly would result in success in similar actions,” Lanci said, “creating financial pressure for the NFL to settle with the players.”

Lanci, a successful entrepreneur, says he plans to continue to “work for the greater good of all.”

(Sports Network) – As usual, the Browns enter this year’s draft with several holes to fill. The team is switching to a 4-3 defense and currently has just one player — tackle Ahtyba Rubin — that’s viewed as starting material on the front line, so finding bodies for both the ends and the interior is essential. There’s also a glaring paucity of weapons for young quarterback Colt McCoy on the present roster, and Cleveland looks to be in good position to land either of the two premium wide receiver prospects (Georgia’s A.J. Green, Alabama’s Julio Jones) with the sixth overall selection if it chooses to go that route. The Browns appear pretty well set at running back, linebacker and cornerback, but could use the middle rounds to bolster other need areas such as safety and a right-side offensive tackle, as well as supply necessary depth across both lines. Cleveland does have an extra sixth-round pick as part of last year’s trade of disappointing quarterback Brady Quinn to the Broncos.

2010 Record: 5-11

Top Needs: DE, WR, DT, OT

First Three Picks: No. 6, No. 37, No. 70

Number of Selections: 8 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 7)

RECENT FIRST ROUND HISTORY: 2010 – Joe Haden (CB, Florida); 2009 – Alex Mack (C, California); 2008 – none; 2007 – Joe Thomas (OT, Wisconsin), Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame); 2006 – Kamerion Wimbley (OLB, Florida State); 2005 – Braylon Edwards (WR, Michigan); 2004 – Kellen Winslow (TE, Miami-Florida); 2003 – Jeff Faine (C, Notre Dame); 2002 – William Green (RB, Boston College).

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Cleveland — Browns Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown said Wednesday on Sirius XM Mad Dog Radio that he still has a bad taste in his mouth about being let go by the Browns last year.

“I’m a Cleveland Brown for life but, man, I’ll tell you, I live in a positive world and I like to be able to help and I’ll never like to get in anybody’s way. And when I think of my experience with the Browns it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth because my intentions were good, and I was asked to participate, and I worked in that city very hard to represent the Browns. And I even got awards for working with organizations in the name of the Browns.

“And, of course, I wanted them to win but it’s like because they didn’t win then everybody is to blame. And when you get a new regime that comes in and they say, ‘Ok, everybody’s gone.’ And you say, ‘Well, I’m gone, too?’ ‘Yeah, you’re gone, too.’ It’s not a great feeling and it’s all about feeling. It’s like what am I to this organization? On one hand you want to give me a Ring of Honor. On the other hand you want to deal in dishonor.

“So I wish the organization well but I’m happy just to go my way and to live my life because I’m going to try to help people and help situations with Amer-I-Can, my organization, and that’s going well. And I don’t wish any bad luck, I don’t have any ill feelings, only how I feel, it’s about my feelings and just how I feel. And that’s the way it is, you know? But there’s no blame, there’s no finger-pointing, none of that in my repertoire. So that’s an honest analysis of just my feelings.”

Brown declined to attend the Browns Ring of Honor ceremony last season because of the way he was let go as a team consultant.