Dick Cass

Richard W. "Dick" Cass (born on January 13, 1946) is the President of the National Football League's Baltimore Ravens.

Biography

Prior to joining the Ravens, Cass worked as counsel for the Dallas Cowboys, where he represented Jerry Jones in his acquisition of the club. He also worked as counsel for the Washington Redskins, where he represented the Jack Kent Cooke estate in that team's sale to Daniel Snyder as well as the central NFL offices.

He was named Ravens President in April 2004, succeeding David Modell, son of Ravens founder Art Modell in that role. He helped Steve Bisciotti in acquisition of the Ravens from Art Modell.^[1] As president of the Ravens, he oversees all aspects of the organization.^[2]

Legal career

From 1972 until 2003, Cass was employed with Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, and later became a partner of the D.C.-based law firm. He was also chairman of the firm’s Business Transactions Section and a member of its Management Committee. Cass also had a general corporate and securities practice; the firm represented companies and entrepreneurs in corporate partnership and securities transactions. In 2002, Cass served as counsel to the owner of the NBA's Charlotte Hornets in the team’s relocation to New Orleans. The next year, 2003, Cass served as Counsel to the Independent Commission of the US Olympics Committee.

Legal work witin the NFL

In 1989, Cass represented Cowboys owner Jerry Jones in the acquisition of the team and Texas Stadium. He also advised Jones on a variety of matters, including: sponsorship contracts, the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and salary cap, NFL broadcast arrangements, Internet policies, stadium financing, estate planning, local broadcast partnerships, and the NFL substance abuse programs. From 1992 to 1993, Cass was retained by the NFL as an advisor pursuant to the Collective Bargaining Agreement with players. In 1999, Cass represented the estate of the late Jack Kent Cooke in the sale of the Redskins to Daniel Snyder. In 2000, he represented Steve Bisciotti in the purchase of the Ravens from the Modell family.

Early life and education

As a child, Cass, whose father was a career Coast Guard enlisted man, moved around the country with his parents, making stops in Virginia, Maryland, Michigan, California, Washington, D.C., Florida and Massachusetts. Cass graduated from Mercersburg Academy, where he was student body president and captain of the football, basketball and baseball teams. Cass graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton in 1968. Played rugby as a junior and senior after a knee injury, resulting in knee surgery, kept him from athletics his first two years. He also graduated from Yale Law School in 1971 obtaining a degree.

Personal life and family

Cass's wife, Heather, owns an architecture firm, Cass and Associates. She is also a graduate of Yale (School of Architecture) and is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. Their daughter, Courtney, is a Columbia graduate who taught in New York City public schools for three years and has since earned a law degree from the University of Virginia, and is currently the executive director for Teach for America Baltimore. Their son, Willy, is a graduate of St. Albans HS in Washington, D.C. and a 2008 Yale University graduate with a degree in biomedical engineering, and is currently a medical student at The University of Maryland School of Medicine.

References