Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti sees traits in new team president Sashi Brown that remind him of former president, Dick Cass, whose retirement became official Friday.
"I think (Sashi's) very similar to him," Bisciotti said. "(His) intelligence and the humility remind me of a young Dick. Anybody that is really smart, you really fall in love with them when they don't try and convince you that they're smart.
"I've been very fortunate to have (business partner) Jim Davis and Dick Cass in my 40 years in business. I told Sashi, 'You're stuck with me for 20 more, because I don't change very often, so get used to this face.'"
Bisciotti has full confidence that Brown is the right person to succeed Cass, who spent 18 years as team president and built a legacy as one of the NFL’s most respected executives.
Cass was always too modest to talk about the pivotal role he played in so many of the Ravens' accomplishments. But he was admired throughout the organization and that feeling was evident when Bisciotti spoke about Cass at the NFL league meetings.
"Let's talk about Dick," Bisciotti said. "I mean, wow, there's not many people that could have done it as good as him and the way that he did it without me being in there all of the time digging away. He's just such a bright guy. I don't think he's made an enemy in his life. Just a kind soul.
"I'm so appreciative of what he allowed me to do by doing it all. I could just cherry-pick when I wanted to get involved. That's really what I wanted and he was better at it than most people that he didn't become territorial, he didn't become domineering, he didn't become a know-it-all."
Cass and Brown both attended the league meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., and now Brown begins his tenure replacing a mentor he greatly respects. Bisciotti said Brown will meet the challenge.
"I believe in him," Bisciotti said. "I think he's the perfect replacement for Dick. I think he feels the pressure because he knows he's replacing kind of a legend. But I think he's up for it. I'm really happy."
