Jim Brown, R.I.P.

NFL legend, actor and civil rights activist Jim Brown passed away on Thursday night. No cause of death has been released. He was 87.

Brown came to prominence during his 9-year NFL career spent entirely with the Cleveland Browns establishing himself not only as the game’s greatest running back averaging more than 100 rushing yards for the entirety of his career but there are those who make the case that Brown was the greatest NFL player of all time. Brown earned Pro Bowl selections in all 9 seasons, thrice winning the NFL MVP and an NFL championship in 1964. Cleveland has not seen a football championship since. 

Brown gave up the gridiron to pursue acting appearing notably in “The Dirty Dozen”. With Brown’s passing, Donald Sutherland is the last surviving cast member. Other notable movies included “Ice Station Zebra” and “100 Rifles” which was notable for his interracial love scenes with Raquel Welch though the two did not get along well on set. Brown’s passing comes just over three months after Welch’s death also at the age of 87.

I did not know that Brown was an outstanding lacrosse player leading Syracuse University to three consecutive championships. Brown later became a part-owner of the now defunct New York Lizards of Major League Lacrosse.

In recent years, Brown courted controversy for his embrace of former President Trump meeting with him on several occasions. Of course, Brown was a significant figure in the Civil Rights Movement and notably debated Georgia’s segregationist Governor Lester Maddox on “The Dick Cavett Show” in 1970. 

It is worth noting Brown was charged with several violent assaults over his lifetime though he only two misdemeanor convictions for assaulting his golf partner in 1975 and for domestic violence in 1999. I mention it here because in this instance Brown showed remarkable restraint against Maddox who was baiting him with his bigotry. Here Brown took the higher road and hopefully it is on the higher road on which he is now ascending. R.I.P.