Browns President Mike Holmgren, unveiling plans for new stadium "Ring of Honor,'' expects Hall of Famer Jim Brown to attend.
Browns President Mike Holmgren, left, and Hall of Fame flanker Paul Warfield plan to attend the team's Ring of Honor ceremony next month, but Jim Brown says he might not be there.After Mike Holmgren became Browns president, he began asking around the office why, with so many Hall of Fame players, there was no tribute to them inside the stadium.
Why no "Ring of Honor," like those in Green Bay and Seattle, where he coached, where he told his young players to look up, notice the names and study them. No one had a clue.
In the first of what Holmgren said will be more game-day links to the Browns' rich legacy, a new Ring of Honor along the upper-deck facade of Browns Stadium will serve as a tribute to the greatest players in franchise history.
The Ring's unveiling and induction of the first class -- the 16 Browns enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- will occur at halftime of the team's home opener with Kansas City on Sept. 19.
"This is really going to be quite a celebration," Holmgren said during a press conference Thursday at the team's Berea headquarters.
"I can't tell you how excited I am about it, and it's long overdue."
But Holmgren's excitement was somewhat sidetracked by the possibility that the greatest Brown of all could be a no-show.
Browns Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, who was an executive adviser to the team until Holmgren was hired and realigned the front office, indicated during a radio interview Thursday that he feels disrespected by the organization.
"I'm a very sensitive person. I do like to be respected," Brown said, responding to a question on WSKO, The Score, in Syracuse, N.Y., about possibly skipping the ceremony. "I'm very loyal. I like it to be a two-way street.
"I've been very quiet about the situation in Cleveland," Brown told the radio station. "Sometimes when you comment on things, all you do is create problems. The last thing I want to do is create problems for anyone or disrupt the team or ownership or the plans of other people.
"On the other hand, as an individual I have plans of my own. I have a dignity and character of my own that I also protect. I don't really need to comment on where I go, why I go, why I don't go. All the people involved are doing all the commenting. They're the ones with the power. I'm just an individual who played football and worked for the Browns for a while. . . ."
Jim Brown and Mike Holmgren got off to a good start as they shake hands after Holmgren was introduced as the Browns' President in January. The relationship is a little frostier now, at least it appears to be from Brown's perspective.Asked about the organization's relationship with Brown, Holmgren said they recently had "a great conversation," and that he trusts Brown will attend the ceremony.
Holmgren said "rift" was too strong a word to describe the situation, and that he has acknowledged how important Brown is to the organization.
"The importance of Jim Brown to the Browns and this community, none of that stuff changed, none of that stuff is different, and he knows that, and I told him that" when they talked Tuesday, Holmgren said.
"Now his responsibilities, what he was asked to do prior to my coming on board, that changed a little bit," he said. "But would I like Jim Brown to come in and talk to our rookies? Absolutely. Would I like Jim Brown to come in and do this? Absolutely. Do I want him as part of this day? Absolutely."
The Brown saga momentarily overshadowed the celebration of a remarkable inaugural class of inductees, including the two fan favorites flanking Holmgren for the announcement: graceful, sure-handed receiver Paul Warfield and guard Joe DeLamielleure, each sporting a glistening Hall of Fame ring.
"I'm overwhelmed," said Warfield, who grew up in Warren and won a Super Bowl with Miami between two terms with the Browns. "This is a great and significant honor for me personally."
The induction will culminate a week-long celebration of events to be announced later.
Besides the Ring of Honor, a popular stadium tribute started by the Dallas Cowboys in 1975, the Browns will resurrect their Legends Program, which began in 2001 to honor standout players from various eras.
Fans will also notice a new Heritage Hall, a season-long exhibit in the stadium's Browns Town area. Presented in conjunction with the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the display will feature photos, memorabilia and busts of the 16 Ring of Honor inductees.
The criteria for choosing future Ring of Honor inductees hasn't been decided, although count on it being an exclusive club.
"There are a lot of great players who have played here. Not every great player gets to be in the Ring of Honor," Holmgren said. "That should be something, very, very, very special."