Orlando Brown, Who Sued N.F.L., Dies at 40

Orlando Brown, a bruising offensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens who was temporarily blinded in one eye by a referee’s errant penalty flag, leading him to file a $200 million lawsuit against the National Football League, was found dead Friday in his Baltimore apartment. He was 40.



There were no signs of foul play or suspicious materials at the scene, Anthony Guglielmi, director of public affairs for the Baltimore Police Department, said.

Brown, a 6-foot-7, 360-pound lineman nicknamed Zeus, was a stalwart for both the Ravens and the Browns. He was one of the highest-paid offensive linemen in the N.F.L. and started 119 games in his 129-game career.



Brown was sidelined by an accident on Dec. 19, 1999, while playing for the Browns in a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. When the referee Jeff Triplette tossed his flag, weighted with BBs, it struck Brown in the right eye, missing his helmet’s face guard. Brown walked off the field, but furious, he returned and shoved Triplette to the turf.

The league suspended him indefinitely for assaulting Triplette but lifted the suspension after it was found that the flag had temporarily blinded Brown. The Browns released him in 2000.

In 2001, Brown sued the league for $200 million, saying the flag incident prematurely ended his career. According to reports, he settled for a sum between $15 million and $25 million in 2002.

Brown came out of retirement in 2003 to play for the Ravens, and as a blocker he became an integral part of running back Jamal Lewis’s 2,066-yard rushing season. Brown started 35 games before retiring in 2005.

Orlando Claude Brown was born in Washington on Dec. 12, 1970. He attended Howard D. Woodson High School there before attending South Carolina State. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Browns in 1993.

Survivors include three sons, Orlando Jr., Justin Wallace and Braxton.

Brown opened a Fatburger restaurant franchise in Elkridge, Md., in 2009.

He retained ties to the Ravens, most recently mentoring the second-year offensive tackle Ramon Harewood.

For months after his eye injury, Brown kept a referee’s flag in his locker, and he watched closely when referees signaled penalties.

“They’re still throwing them in there,” he told The Associated Press in 2000. “I wish he just would have dropped it, that’s all.”

Source : http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/24/sports/football/orlando-brown-who-sued-nfl-over-errant-flag-dies-at-40.html