CLEVELAND -- Orlando Brown may soon be throwing a penalty
flag of his own in the NFL's direction.
Brown, who hasn't been able to play since he apparently suffered
permanent damage in his right eye when he was struck by a referee's
weighted penalty flag in a Dec. 19 game, was released Tuesday by
the Cleveland Browns.
|  | | Orlando Brown, right, said last month that he still has blurred vision. |
While not unexpected, the move ended a nine-month saga which
began when the 6-foot-7, 350-pound Brown, whose nickname is
"Zeus," was dropped by a flag weighing just a few ounces.
Cleveland president Carmen Policy said the Browns decided to
release Brown, who had been on the physically unable to perform
list, after team doctors told them that there was no significant
improvement in the player's eye.
"We are convinced that there is absolutely no light at the end
of the tunnel in terms of Orlando returning to the playing field in
2000," Policy said.
Policy added that now that Brown was no longer a team member, he
would be able to pursue other options.
One, is a lawsuit against the league.
Brown, 29, has retained O.J. Simpson's lawyer, Johnnie Cochran
Jr., to explore legal action against the league for causing the
accident. Referee Jeff Triplette threw the flag toward Brown after
another Browns lineman had been whistled for a penalty.
A spokeswoman for Cochran said the lawyer met with Brown last
week but said she did not know the nature of their discussion.
The NFL had no comment on Brown's release. However, during the
offseason, the league did suggest to its officials that they
weight their penalty markers with sand. In past years, officials
used popcorn kernels, or in Triplette's case BBs, to add weight to
their flags.
Officials were also cautioned about throwing the flags directly
at players when calling an infraction.
Brown still has blurred vision and swelling behind the eye, and
has been limited to riding a stationary bike and walking.
"After several conversations with him, I came to the conclusion
it would be in his best interest not to continue his pursuit of
playing," Browns coach Chris Palmer said.
Brown signed a six-year, $27 million deal that included a $7.5
million signing bonus last season. He was paid $374,000, or
three-17ths of his salary, for the Browns' first three games this
season.
"I'm worried about him, and everybody connected to the
Cleveland Browns is worried about him," Policy said. "We want the
best for him, and ultimately I'd like to think the National
Football League would want the best for him as well."
Brown's agent, Tom Condon, said Brown's condition was improving
and expressed surprise that Brown was released.
"He had been encouraged," Condon told The (Cleveland) Plain
Dealer. "He certainly hopes to continue playing. Orlando told me
he could feel (the release) coming. Maybe he was less surprised
than I was."
Once vilified for pushing Triplette to the ground, Brown has
become a sympathetic giant.
During the second quarter against Jacksonville last December,
Triplette's flag somehow got inside Brown's facemask. Brown dropped
to one knee in pain and staggered toward the sideline.
He returned to the field and shoved Triplette to the ground.
Brown has said he became enraged out of fear of going blind. His
father lost his sight to glaucoma.
The eight-year veteran was initially suspended indefinitely and
sat out the final two weeks of last season before the league lifted
its penalty in February.
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VIDEO
  Browns president Carmen Policy comments on the release of offensive tackle Orlando Brown. wav: 209 kRealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 |
