JIMMY BROWN HAD PASSED AWAY
NFL phenomenon Jim Brown has died aged 87. His was a multi-pronged legacy – NFL star, lacrosse star, civil rights activist, film star – though also a complicated one due to a cloud of violent temper and assault arrests. The fearsome fullback was a three-time MVP and took the Cleveland Browns to an NFL championship in 1964. He set many records at the time, some such as the highest average rushing yards still stand today. Some assessments of the all-time greatest NFLers deem him the greatest player of all time, and virtually all consider him at least top five.
Brown was at the top of his game as an athlete when lending his starpower to the civil rights movement, publicly backing Muhammad Ali’s draft resistance when The Greatest was a social pariah. He clashed with Browns owner Art Modell over his time filming The Dirty Dozen cutting into NFL training, and he retired from the sport to pursue acting full time. His film career as a rugged blaxploitation action hero was likened to a black John Wayne, and though hardly a Poitier talentwise, was never undignified and helped open further doors for black actors. He accomplished a lot of good with his celebrity, but his life also has to be discussed with nuance due to a long history of violence, including seven arrests for assaults, a brief imprisonment for refusing to attend domestic violence counselling, and many more accusations.
His legacy both good and bad will be discussed for years to come, but what can’t be disputed is he was an extraordinarily rare category – an NFL player who was actually interesting to write about. His death puts From Here To Eternity on the board.
Jim Brown
17 February 1936 – 18 May 2023, aged 87
💀💀💀💀💀💀 + 👻 = 10 POINTS