Yahoo Sports MinuteJim Brown calls out Kobe Bryant
They're two of the most well-known athletes of the last 50 years. But don't expect former NFL great Jim Brown to be sending five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant a Christmas card anytime soon.
Of course, you might think because the pair are icons in their respective sports, they're part of an elite fraternity. But Brown was critical of Bryant during an appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show Tuesday night for breaking ranks in that fraternity. When the talk show host brought up the name of the Los Angeles Lakers star, Brown offered his candid thoughts on Bryant immediately:
"He threw Shaq under the bus," Brown said succinctly. The live studio audience offered an awkward reaction filled with some laughter and applause — but mostly silence. (Keep in mind, the show is taped in L.A. and one can imagine those attending were a strong pro-Kobe crowd.) Brown continued. "He is somewhat confused about culture because he was brought up in another country so it doesn't quite fit (with) what's happening in America." Brown admitted Bryant is an unbelievable athlete — but in perhaps the most telling sign the man many consider the greatest player in NFL history simply doesn't like one of the NBA's largest personalities, Brown said this:
"In the days when we had a summit and we called the top black athletes together to talk to Muhammad Ali about his status with the armed forces, there were some athletes we didn't call. So if I had to call that summit all over, there would be some athletes I wouldn't call. And Kobe would be one of them."
Ouch.
Post-driving career?
Moving to NASCAR news, 2013 Daytona 500 pole sitter Danica Patrick co-hosted the American Country Awards in Las Vegas Tuesday night. Patrick appeared as a Vegas showgirl during a portion of the live broadcast and cracked some jokes at her own expense.
Down in front!
Finally in hockey, the Florida Panthers replaced a broken pane of glass with another pane of glass during their game with the Detroit Red Wings. One problem: the new pane was still covered with paper.
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