field no later than 1999. The $175 million earmarked for stadium improvements was to be used instead build a new stadium, with up to $48 million of additional financial assistance from the NFL. Further, Modell was ordered to pay Cleveland $9.3 million to compensate for lost revenues and taxes during the Browns' three years of inactivity, plus up to $2.25 million of the city's legal fees. As a result of the deal Modell's team was technically an expansion franchise, called the Baltimore Ravens. Preparations (1996–1998) Preparations for a reactivated franchise began shortly after Modell, the city and the NFL struck their compromise. The NFL established the Cleveland Browns Trust to direct the Browns' return in early 1996, and in June appointed Bill Futterer as its president. Futterer, who had helped bring the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets expansion teams to North Carolina, was charged with marketing the team, selling season tickets and representing the NFL's interests in the construction of a new stadium. The trust also leased suites, sold personal seat licenses in the new stadium and reorganized Browns Backers fan clubs. By September 1996, architects were finalizing the design of a new stadium to be built following the destruction of Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Demolition work began on the old stadium in November, and the ground-breaking for the new stadium took place the following May. As the stadium's construction got underway, the NFL began to search for an owner for the team, which the league decided would be an expansion franchise March 23, 1998. A litany of potential owners lined up, including Kosar and a group backed partly by HBO founder Charles Dolan, comedian Bill Cosby and former Miami coach Don Shula. The ultimate winner was Al Lerner, the Baltimore man who had helped Modell in 1986 by buying a small stake in the Browns. A seven-member NFL expansion committee awarded the team to Lerner for $530 million in September 1998. Lerner, then 65 years old, had a majority share, while Carmen Policy, who helped build the 49ers dynasty of the 1980s, owned 10% of the team and was to run football operations. As the Browns geared up to reactivate, the Browns Trust set up a countdown clock for the team's return and used Hall of Famers such as Lou Groza and Jim Brown extensively to promote the team, alongside celebrity fans including Drew Carey. Lerner and Policy hired Dwight