Jim Brown lauded in celebration before Hall of Fame game
Aug. 3—CANTON — One by one, Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam, former players, Jim Brown's widow Monique and others stepped onto the podium inside Umstattd Hall on Aug. 3 at the Pro Football Hall of Fame to tell their personal stories of how Brown impacted their lives.
Little of what was mentioned during the 90-minute "Life and Legacy of Jim Brown" celebration dealt with how Brown dominated the football field during his nine-year Hall of Fame career with the Browns, though football and the acting career that followed is what gave him the platform he used to bring about social change.
Brown, who played for the Browns from 1957-65, died on May 18 at age 87.
Here is a highlight film of Jim Brown shown at his celebration at the Hall of Fame on Thursday. #Browns pic.twitter.com/4sEj58AKxG
— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) August 3, 2023
John Wooten was a starting guard for most of the nine he played for the Browns from 1959-67. He and fellow guard Gene Hickerson can be seen leading the way in many videos of Brown rumbling toward the end zone. Wooten took his cue from Brown as an activist. Wooten was the penultimate speaker at the Jim Brown celebration and shared some things Brown told him. Monique Brown followed Wooten.
"I want to talk to you about what you've heard over and over about this great person and the great vision that he had," Wooten said. "He said to me, 'Woo, we're not going to march. We're not going to be in a sit-in, but we got to get in a fight. And the fight means education.'"
Many Hall of Famers in their gold jackets were in the audience. Several current Browns players were there ahead of playing in the Hall of Fame game with the New York Jets at 8 p.m.
John Wooten, a teammate of Jim Brown's from 1959-65, offers his thoughts on Brown during a celebration Thursday before the Hall of Fame game in Canton. pic.twitter.com/WTFk0NDlkf
— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) August 3, 2023
"Human dignity is what all of this is about," Wooten continued. "Respect everyone is what we have to do. And so I say to the athletes all over this country — NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, everywhere — take it upon yourself to be involved in your community. This is a great country. I'm standing here today before you knowing how great this country has been to us, and all I'm saying to you is this: Continue to believe in human dignity for everyone."
Rudolph "Rock" Johnson said he would be in prison or dead if not for Jim Brown. Johnson said he was in jail when he was 11 years old.
"By the time I was 23, I ran 13 prisons from one cell," Johnson said. "I was that guy. I was that predator. I was that man that when Jim said if he could change the mindset of individuals of predators from a negative to a positive and put them right back in their community in a positive way, they would be just as effective in a positive way as they were in a negative way."
Johnson, now 60 years old, became a leader in his community. Young men listened to him so they wouldn't end up like he did. But then something happened that tested him. Johnson said he had six daughters. One of them, 15 years old, was murdered. He wanted revenge. Brown knocked on his door.
"Jim looked me in my eyes and said, 'Rock. If we cross that line, there's no turning back'. I said, 'Jim, what do you mean? Jim, this is my problem. This is my issue. That was my daughter.'
"He said, 'What about your other daughters? What about all the young men that follow you and that listen to you?' And for the first time in my life, I fought my bad negative feelings and I went against my own neighborhood and I started crying in front of other men. And I've never done that before in my life. That's how much Jim meant to me. And I turned my other cheek."
Bob Arum told a story about how Jim Brown put him in touch with Muhammad Ali in 1965. Because of that meeting, Arum became one of the biggest promoters in boxing history.
Ray Lewis, the Hall of Fame linebacker from the Ravens, developed a close bond with Brown. Lewis' son died of a drug overdose about a month after Brown passed away.
"If I had a choice today, if I had a wish, I would ask God to give me one more conversation with my son and Jim," Lewis said.
Jim and Monique Brown were married 25 years.
"He led with strength, uncompromising strength," Monique said. "And I'm just so proud to be here today. I'm so grateful to everyone who's made this day possible, to all the family, all the friends. If you're here, you are family. All the fans that have come up to Jim over the years have always been proud because every story that you have is a unique experience that you share."
Brown owned any room the minute he walked through the door, even when he was 85 years old. Haslam, who bought the Browns in 2012, said Brown never meddled, but if Brown caught wind a player was having an off-the-field problem, Brown was eager to help.
"We had a player, particularly a player who maybe off the field was struggling," Haslam said. "He would call and say, 'Can I have dinner with him? Can I have lunch with him? How can I spend time with him? How can I help him?' And Jim had that kind of humility you rarely see with people with supreme confidence."
The Browns are working on a special way to honor Brown for the 2023 season, possibly with "32" on their jerseys.
