Arts Flawed football great

Some of us are too young to remember when Jim Brown ruled the gridiron from 1957 to 1965 as a powerful fullback for the Cleveland Browns. We also may have missed his attempts at becoming “the black John Wayne,” by appearing in low-budget action movies, which began before his brief career in the National Football League ended.

We learned about his outspokenness during the Civil Rights Movement and his push for black economic independence, long after they occurred in the 1960s. These were the things Jim Brown would want people to know about him and remember him.

But if you were born in the 1970s, you have been introduced to the Georgia native with his portrayal of “Slammer,” a character in the 1988 film “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka.” The film is a send-up of the so-called Blaxploitation movies popular in the 1970s and Jim Brown plays a parody of the kind of role he typically played in those films: A tough guy who isn’t afraid to use violence to solve a problem. Slammer was the part-owner of a restaurant whose slogan was “Our Meat is Tougher Than We Are,” and later joins his compadres to take down the neighborhood criminal known as “Mr. Big.”

We now know that off the field, Mr. Brown’s behavior often wasn’t a laughing matter. He was charged with assault with intent to commit murder in 1968 after model Eva Bohn-Chin was found under the balcony of his second floor apartment in Los Angeles. Police said he threw her; he said she had fallen. He was arrested at least seven times for assault, in incidents that usually involved women of color, but was never convicted of domestic violence. Those kind of accusations would be enough to end a career these days. Just ask actor Johnathan Majors.

Then there were the politics of Jim Brown. He was a civil rights advocate, but didn’t like the idea of marching. He was down with the Black Panthers, yet endorsed former President Richard Nixon. In recent years, he talked about his fondness for Donald Trump, who has also faced domestic violence allegations. At least that last part was predictable.

Jim Brown would like us to remember how he played the game. And those of us who remember can do that. But the rest of us can’t forget how he lived his life, leaving behind a complicated legacy that remains tough to tackle.

In remembrance

The Memorial Day holiday is once more upon us and with it arrives ceremonies and programs that honor the military men and women who died while defending the United States.

In this week’s Free Press you will discover a Monday, May 29, Memorial Day program in Chesterfield County that will unveil a replica of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the iconic memorial in Arlington National Cemetery which, since 1921, has provided a final resting place for one of America’s unidentified Word War I service members.

And in Downtown Richmond, the Virginia Department of Veterans Services will host Memorial Day ceremonies with high-ranking officials such as Virginia’s Secretary of Veteran And Defense Affairs and the Adjutant General of Virginia. Patriotic music will be performed by the 29th Division Band of the Virginia National Guard. Similar events will take place at three state veterans cemeteries.

Such ceremonies elicit all sorts of emotions whether attending them in person or observing them on television or social media. Pride, joy, pain and sorrow.

In observing these memorable moments, please be reminded not only of those in the military who sacrificed their lives for all of us. Remember, it was just three years ago, on Memorial Day May 25 when George Floyd lost his life in a battle against racism that far too many Black people, as Attorney Ben Crump points out in our front-page article, continue to experience daily.

Jim Brown and social activism

Since most players in professional basketball and football are Black, it should come as no surprise that many high-profile Black athletes have become role models to young admirers who are also Black. Athletes such as football legend Jim Brown reached the professional ranks by overcoming tremendous odds with determination, perseverance, and commitment.

Any confident and successful pro athlete can easily become an example for a child or young adult to look up to.

Charles Bark- ley is a former NBA star whose 16-year career covered stints in Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Houston. The outspoken Mr. Barkley once declared in a Nike commercial that kids should be taught to emulate their parents, not athletes or celebrities. “Just because I dunk a basketball doesn’t mean I should raise your kids,” Mr. Barkley concluded. In a 1993 issue of Sports Illustrated, Utah Jazz star Karl Malone wrote that being a role model was not Mr. Barkley’s decision to make. “We don’t choose to be role models, Malone wrote. “We are chosen. Our only choice is whether to be a good role model or a bad one.”

I agree with Mr. Malone’s assessment that being a role model means not always knowing when a child has chosen your example to follow. The danger of a child looking up to the wrong individual is a risk that automatically comes with the position being in the public arena.

Long before the infamous

“shut up and dribble” kerfuffle, it has been widely believed that sports and politics should remain separate. Some see sports as a refuge to escape the mental exhaustion of politics and social conflicts. Former NBA coach Phil Jackson is well known for having won 11 championships as a player and coach.

Yet, Mr. Jackson, 77, recently said he no longer watches the NBA due to politics. He references the slogans used in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Mr. Jackson believes the NBA has evolved since his time and has become too political for his liking. “They even had slogans on the floor and the baseline,” Jhe said. “People want to see sports as non-political. Politics stays out of the game; it doesn’t need to be there.”

While it is desired that athletes refrain from bringing political messages into the games, some players cannot simply put on a jersey, play ball, and then go home and remain publicly silent about the injustices we face. It is not wrong if a player is compelled to speak out on social issues. It just needs to be calculated and strategic to be effective.

Jim Brown was not silent when it came to separating his athletic dominance on the football field from being a relevant voice in addressing the social matters impacting the Black community. He was never hesitant to speak out publicly, as many athletes were during the 1950s and 1960s.

Mr. Brown was a social activist who often took a stand for Black citizens and other minorities whose rights were denied. Because he believed in Black empowerment, He was a key player with the Black Economic Union, an organization focused on creating careers for minorities by helping them get business loans to be self-sufficient. He played a key role in organizing the “Cleveland Summit” in 1967, which concluded with a group of prominent players

When vigilantism becomes a campaign stunt

On his way to see whether his expected presidential bid can play in Peoria, Fla., Gov. Ron DeSantis upstaged himself with a news making tweet.

“We stand with Good Samaritans like Daniel Penny,” he tweeted Fri day about the former Marine accused in the May 1 killing of Jordan Nee ly, a homeless man who had been shouting in the faces of other passen gers on a New York subway.

“Let’s show this Marine ...” Gov. DeSantis tweeted, “America’s got his back.” At least Gov. DeSantis does—and he’s not alone.

When I last visited the sad case of the “subway vigilante,” as some are calling Mr. Penny, he was not yet arrested or charged, despite a groundswell of people calling for it after the video was broadcast. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, among others, wanted Penny charged with murder.

But I agreed with Mayor Eric Adams that simple justice requires that we wait for police to investigate before jumping to conclusions. Mr. Penny deserved to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, I felt. I’m kind of old-fashioned that way.

But, by the time the Manhattan district attorney’s office charged him with second degree manslaughter, Mr. Penny found a bigger groundswell of financial and online support from high-profile Republicans such as Gov. DeSantis, Fox News personalities and other conservatives.

Many hailed Mr. Penny as a “hero” and “Good Samaritan” and raised nearly $2 million from Kid Rock and others for his legal defense through an online fund.

Gov. DeSantis similarly joined many others on the right who sought to turn Mr. Penny into a martyr being punished by the “deep state” for supposedly defending public order. Mr. DeSantis in this fashion joined former President Donald Trump as a leading contender for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination celebrating vigilante “justice” in the fashion of Charles Bronson in “Death Wish.” Did we, as a country, ask for this? Like it or not, that’s what we have in today’s political world as “tough on crime” has taken on a particularly ruthless odor.

There are cases, such as Edward Gallagher, the Navy SEAL accused by members of his own unit of killing multiple unarmed civilians. Mr. Trump pardoned him.

More recently, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott promised to pardon a man convicted of the 2020 murder of a Black Lives Matter protester.

It would be easy to cast these episodes of trial-by-media as election year excesses, except this isn’t an election year. Not quite, although for some people it seems the “election year” never ends.

So far, there is no evidence that Mr. Neely assaulted anyone on the subway, but Mr. Penny acted to restrain him in a choke- hold anyway, and at least one other passenger acted to assist him by grabbing Mr. Neely’s arms. Mr. Neely also may have been turned on his side in an effort to prevent him from choking on his saliva. But when he was taken to the hospital, he was pronounced dead.

To prove guilt of second degree manslaughter, prosecutors will have to demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Penny “recklessly” caused Mr. Neely’s death. Under New York state law, The New York Times reports, a person is deemed to have acted recklessly when he engages in conduct which creates or contributes to a substantial or unjustifiable risk that another person’s death will occur.

Considering the circumstances, there’s a good chance that the outcome won’t satisfy very many of us, regardless of which side we’re on. As a lawyer friend of mine put it, “Justice? You’re not going to have any real justice as long as there’s no way to bring that dead man back to life.”

Indeed, there’s no way around the simple truth in these instances that the system has failed, especially for Mr. Neely, a homeless street performer who had a long sheet of arrests and treatments in a social service system that wasn’t there when he needed it most.

Now the state’s justice system must decide whether Mr. Penny was criminally “reckless” or just trying to help. The system needs to seek justice, not just revenge.

The writer is a member of the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board and a columnist for the newspaper.

The Free Press welcomes letters such as Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Willie Davis, and Bobby Mitchell providing public support for Muhammad Ali, who refused to be drafted based on his religious beliefs. On the football field, Jim Brown often is ranked as one of the greatest NFL players to play the game. Off the field, his leadership and messages of motivation inspired future players and prepared them for future activism.

The Richmond Free Press respects the opinions of its readers. We want to hear from you. We invite you to write the editor. All letters will be considered for publication. Concise, typewritten letters related to public matters are preferred. Also include your telephone number(s). Letters should be addressed to: Letters to the Editor, Richmond Free Press, P.O. Box 27709, 422 East Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23261, or faxed to: (804) 643-7519 or e-mail: letters@richmondfreepress.com.

Mr. Brown’s politics were not radical. He believed that Black people do not achieve advancement through the politics of protest but through the politics of earning as much money as possible to build economic self-sufficiency. We lost another icon. Rest in peace, Jim Brown.

The writer is the founder of the faith-based organization TRB: The Reconciled Body and author of “God Bless Our Divided America”

Sellars sandrasellars@richmondfreepress.com Regina H. Boone reginaboone@richmondfreepress.com James Haskins, Rudolph Powell and Clinton A. Strane Vice President – Administration Tracey L. Oliver traceyoliver@richmondfreepress.com

Advertising Traffic Coordinator Cynthia Downing advertising@richmondfreepress.com classifieds@richmondfreepress.com

Advertising Fax: (804) 643-5436