Troubles Leave Brown’s Image Tarnished

Since Jim Brown left the football field, another man has emerged.

He is no longer known only as a running back who dominated his sport more than any other player. He’s the film actor, successful activist and, in the eyes of some, an abuser of women.

Brown is facing possible jail time for vandalizing his wife’s car. The conviction is just the latest problem for a man as accomplished as he is complex, as tarnished as he is famous.

“It’s sort of mind-boggling to think that a man who’s done what he’s done, on and off the field, trying to help the inner-city youth get a start in life, a man of his stature, has been reduced to what’s been decreed by the court,” said Art Modell, who bought the Cleveland Browns 39 years ago and still owns the team, now in Baltimore.

Brown’s most recent trouble began last June when his wife called 911, saying that Brown had smashed her car with a shovel and threatened to kill her.

However, in a trial three months later, Monique Brown recanted, saying the information she gave was false and that her husband “has never laid a hand on me.”

The 63-year-old Brown was ultimately acquitted of a charge of domestic threats but convicted of misdemeanor vandalism.

The case did not end there. Municipal Judge Dale S. Fischer said she had no choice but to sentence Brown to six months in jail when he refused to attend domestic violence counseling.

Brown has appealed, saying the sentence was unconstitutional and dehumanizing. He said he believed the judge was a radical feminist biased against black men.

Brown has a long history of arrests, most of them on charges he beat women:

-- In 1986, his fiancee declined to press charges after he allegedly beat her.

-- In 1985, charges that he raped a woman were dropped.

-- In 1971, charges that he beat two women were dropped after they failed to testify at his trial.

-- In 1968, he was accused of assault with intent to commit murder when his girlfriend was found semiconscious under the balcony of his apartment. The charge was dropped when the woman said she had fallen.

-- In 1965, a jury acquitted him of charges that he assaulted an 18-year-old girl in Cleveland.

“I agree there’s a lot to pass judgment on. I will say this: he’s an easy target, as is any ex-athlete of his magnitude. All I know is my experience with him has been a good one,” Modell said. “I like Jim Brown. I like his character, his interest in his fellow African-Americans, their welfare.”

Feminist lawyer Gloria Allred sees the other side of Brown, neither hero nor role model. She calls the accusations “part of the history of Jim Brown.”

“I don’t think he deserves any sympathy,” she said. “Celebrities don’t deserve any white-glove treatment. Any community or charity work he or anyone else has done will never excuse an act of violence.”

Efforts to interview Brown were unsuccessful. His lawyer, Frank H. Williams Jr., initially said he would cooperate, but then didn’t return several phone calls.

Others, however, spoke fondly of the former star athlete, who has led community efforts in Los Angeles and elsewhere to persuade gang members to go straight.

“To me, he’s done a lot more than just talk,” said Billie Green, former president of the Beverly Hills/Hollywood branch of the NAACP. “He’s putting his money where his mouth is, he’s out there doing something for the community.

“He’s someone that I respect. If I can do anything to help him, I would,” she said.

Brown played for Cleveland from 1957-65, leading the NFL in rushing in eight of his nine seasons, an unheard of feat today.

With a combination of speed and power he set NFL records that stood for years; his 5.2 yards per carry still stands. He retired abruptly as a player at age 29.