CLEVELAND — When your team has been terrible and the future doesn’t look much better, what’s a team to do? Build a statue.
The Browns are honoring Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown with a statue outside their stadium.
Considered one of the greatest players in NFL history, Brown said he’s humbled by the honor which was announced on his 80th birthday. The sculpture of Brown will be unveiled outside FirstEnergy Stadium later this year.
Brown spent his entire career with the Browns, who drafted him in 1957. A nine-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time league MVP, Brown finished with 12,312 yards before retiring in 1965 at the peak of his career. He led the league in rushing in eight of his nine seasons.
His iconic No. 32 was retired by Cleveland. Brown was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
Brown has worked as a special adviser to owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam for the past few years.
Brown was also dogged by repeated accusations of violence against women, including one by his wife in 1999, but was never convicted, according to a report by cleveland.com.