He Leaves the Money and Runs

It used to be that a guy could play football for the Rams for as long as his knees and neck held out, and then he could retire and get a job on television, playing an honest but ornery cop, or a farmer near the little house on the prairie.

Now, it seems as if nobody wants to work for the Rams anymore.

Ron Brown ran out on them Tuesday, and, understandably, there was nobody who could catch him to change his mind.

Brown is the bolt who won a gold medal at the 1984 L.A. Olympics in the 400-meter relay. He has decided to give up being a wide receiver to try for another gold medal in South Korea.

We do believe that this is his sincere and foremost motivation. Yet, Brown is not the only athlete who has gone out of his way to go away from the Rams.

Eric Dickerson, of course, did everything but pretend both legs were broken before the Rams finally got sick of his act and shipped him off to Indianapolis. Sunday, the club will begin to reap the rewards of that deal, in the National Football League draft.

LeRoy Irvin, well, he has been crying freedom for a long time now. The Ram defensive back keeps begging the team for more money, and they keep saying they have no intention of putting their money where his mouth is. Even a holdout didn’t help his case. But LeRoy still wants out, and wants out badly.

There also was Barry Redden, the fullback who carried the football 110 times in the 1986 season, then still wanted out so he could go somewhere where somebody would give him the ball. He went to San Diego, which more or less gave him the boot.

And, let us not forget Henry Ellard, the wide receiver who thought an 89-day holdout was worth missing the first seven games of the 1986 season.

The motto of this squad ought to be: “Is Anybody Happy?”

John Robinson and company had better use all those draft choices wisely, because you never know which of the returning players might defect next. Remember, the Rams also have to replace Dennis Harrah, the team’s on-the-field snorting offensive lineman and off-the-field cuddly stuffed bear.

Too bad about Ron Brown, who still had the makings of a fine wide receiver. Oh, it’s true that Brown’s hands sometimes could use some stickum--he’s better with a baton than with a ball--but he made plenty of big plays, particularly in last season’s great performance against the Washington Redskins. And he was a definite threat to run 100 yards in 9.6 seconds with any kickoff.

Brown was fourth in the 100 meters at the ’84 Olympics, so maybe that is his motivation. Maybe fourth still sticks in his craw. With Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis in the photo at the finish, everybody else at the Seoul Olympics probably will be running for third. But, what the heck. You never know until you try.

Chances are, Ron Brown is a guy who has had track and field--well, track--in his bloodstream for so long, he is suffering from withdrawal pains. He’s a thinclad, born and raised.

When he whipped Phillip Epps of Green Bay for the NFL Fastest Man title in a 60-yard dash at Palm Desert, Brown clearly enjoyed himself. He enjoyed running a long way toward a reward without somebody bumping him at the start and tackling him at the finish.

If you were Ron Brown or Willie Gault or Renaldo Nehemiah, what would you rather run into--a tape at a finish line, or Kenny Easley?

Also, Brown just turned 27, so it’s now or never. There will be no Olympic medals for any 31-year-old sprinters four years from now in Spain. There is only now, South Korea, and Ron Brown would like to be there.

If he doesn’t make it, well, he can always come back and play some more ball for the Rams. Or, maybe the L.A. Cobras will let him work one day a week, let him keep loose and limber with a little arena football, lining up at wide receiver on the side opposite Cliff Branch. What the heck, maybe Branch will apply to the Rams, now that Brown’s gone.

All we know is, football just isn’t fulfilling anymore. This is just another in a series of examples of football players who need something more to occupy their time. Willie Gault pushing a bobsled, Herschel Walker lifting a ballerina, Howie Long sharing a TV adventure with Jacko the Australian battery salesman, Bo Jackson desperately trying to locate a pop fly in left field--these gentlemen do keep long hours.

Ron Brown’s breakaway run gives the Rams something to think about in the few days remaining before the draft. Must they now concentrate on finding a receiver who also, if possible, is what we writers of cliches used to call a speed merchant? Or, do the Rams worry more about beefing up their line, or adding a linebacker, or selecting the ever-popular best player available?

We only know two things:

One, is that whomever the Rams draft this year, he has to be better than the guy they drafted last year.

And two, if the Rams do something completely out of character and fork over a big wad of money, Ron Brown probably will stick out his hand, grab it like a baton, give them a friendly wink and say: “Olympics? What Olympics?”