AVON, Ohio (AP) — After a two-year split, Jim Brown wants to reunite with the Cleveland Browns.
The
Hall of Fame running back, who had been estranged from the organization
after he was relieved of his duties as a senior advisor, attended an
alumni golf outing Friday and said he hopes to have a new role with the
team.
"I am forever a Cleveland Brown," he said.
Walking
without pain and better than he has in years following two hip
replacements, the 76-year-old Brown spent nearly 30 minutes speaking
with reporters on a number of topics.
And as always, Brown had plenty to say.
Brown
said he’ll meet Saturday with incoming owner Jimmy Haslam III, who
recently purchased the Browns for $1 billion from Randy Lerner. Brown
would like to have a hand in developing "a new winning attitude" with
the Browns, and is looking forward to meeting with Haslam to discuss a
possible future with the club.
"What an opportunity to be able to sit down with him," Brown said. "It’s a beautiful
thing."
Brown has missed being involved with the team he helped make famous.
"I
miss being around," he said. "I would love to have a role with the
Browns. I think that’s what every ex-player would like to do most of
all, to be a contributor to the success of an organization that he was a
player that brought a certain amount of success. I’m stuck with being
No. 32 for the Cleveland Browns. I can’t do anything about that and I
don’t’ want to do anything about it.
"We are married because of
that history. And if I can be a part of the development of a new winning
attitude and help get some victories, that would be fantastic.
"Imagine having a championship team here again?"
Brown
also plans to meet this weekend with team president Mike Holmgren, who
reached out to the franchise’s career rushing leader and unquestioned
greatest player in hopes of welcoming him back to the team. Holmgren had
been the one who had changed Brown’s role as an advisor to Lerner.
Brown said he didn’t have any problem with Holmgren, and the two "didn’t
have much of a confrontation."
Holmgren also said he was looking forward to meeting with Brown.
"He’s
one of my longtime idols," Holmgren said before watching the Browns
practice Friday in Berea. "He’s a very, very important part of this
organization and I’m really very happy he’s coming in for the weekend
and I hope to get a chance to visit with him."
Brown said he has
seen flashes of greatness in Browns rookie running back Trent
Richardson. Before the NFL draft, Brown had called Richardson
"ordinary." Brown said he made the comments in part to motivate
Richardson, who rushed for 109 yards and scored two touchdowns last week
against Cincinnati.
"Why wouldn’t you love to see a running back
make two, three, four or five moves and shed those tacklers?" Brown
said. "Ultimately a running back has to get rid of tacklers without his
blockers being a part of it. So I was happy to see him show that kind of
talent."
Brown intends to meet with Richardson before Sunday’s game against Buffalo.
The
initial reason for Brown returning to Cleveland this weekend was to
take part in a halftime ceremony honoring former teammate Ernie Green, a
fullback who blocked for him. Green is being inducted into the team’s
legends club along with Clarence Scott, who played safety for Cleveland.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.