BALTIMORE -- NewsChannel5's exclusive series of reports on Art Modell has touched off a firestorm of controversy.

Some say their views of the former Browns owner are slowly improving, but most others use language we can't use here in characterizing the man.

At the age of 80 and in failing health, and 10 years after he left town, people are still soured on Modell.

On the other hand, as NewsChannel5's Ted Henry learned while visiting the Modells at their Baltimore home, Modell is still soured on some parts of Cleveland.

Exclusive Interview: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Those he's most bitter about are Cleveland's politicians and the media.

Aside from being one of Cleveland's most infamous former citizens, Modell is also a man who possesses a generous amount of wit and humor.

Henry: "Happy Birthday."

Modell: "Thank you very much, Ted."

Henry: "What does it feel like to be 80?"

Modell: "Well, four times greater than when I was 20."

Henry: Modell is always there with a joke. It's his trademark, just like his reaction to the news I brought him, that someone wanted him to be inducted into the Football Hall of Fame.

Henry: "We spoke to Bernie Kosar. He says he wants you to be in the Football Hall of Fame."

Modell On Loyalty | Discuss: Art Modell | Images | Survey | Ted's Blog

Modell: "That's nice of Bernie. Does he have a vote? (laughs) I've gotten a lot of support, but it's not my call. It's reserved for the members of the media who are electors. Whatever happens, happens."

Henry: That's a pretty sensitive issue with Modell, the fact that he's not yet been voted into the Hall of Fame.

Most believe he certainly has the track record for it, but those eligible to vote him in, including sports writers, so far have said no.

They can't forgive him for taking the Browns out of Cleveland.

And Modell cannot forgive some of them. He says the media has been cruel to both him and his family since they left Cleveland for Baltimore.

Henry: "How was it coming here?"

Modell: "Torturous. Fueled by the media who love nothing more than to tear people apart, if they can.

Henry: "Print more than broadcast?"

Modell: "Which print media? How many print media do you have in Cleveland?"

Henry: Modell said he seldom experienced newspaper writers in Cleveland giving him a fair shake.

Modell: "It would be a shocker to me if they did. A good man would do that, see that they were wrong and try to correct it. Not that it will make things nice again. I'm still vilified all over Cleveland, people think I betrayed them by moving."

Henry: He's right on that point, and as it turns out, Clevelanders have long memories, as we learned while polling people regarding how they still feel about Modell.

It's this intense bitterness that hurts Modell, even to this day. But he says he's pretty much learned to live with it in his new hometown in Maryland.

Modell says he's happy in Baltimore. He says he's able to make the transition from being angry over what happened in Cleveland to simply being sad about what happened a decade ago. But one thing remains clear -- Art Modell is still hurting.

However, there is one last act that can make his hurt go away -- a return to Cleveland.

Henry: "Would you ever consider coming back?"

Modell: "I'd have to have a clear-cut awareness and knowledge that I was wanted back, not by a handful of people, not by a social, 'let's get together' for dinner thing. I'd have to get a feeling that it's pervasive all over town that they want the Modells back. Even if it's only temporary."

Henry: Maybe it would be the Hall of Fame that could lure Modell back to northern Ohio, if he's inducted.

Modell: "I think the Hall of Fame would serve as a closure for part of my life, an episode that comes to an end. I would like to come back to Cleveland, not to live perhaps, but to stay for a while. Visit often."