NFL Network's A Football Life Reminds Us Of Jim Brown's Greatness

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Alex Riethmiller – 954.599.4154

NFL Media – 11/8/16 Alex.Riethmiller@NFL.com

NFL NETWORK'S A FOOTBALL LIFE REMINDS US OF JIM BROWN'S GREATNESS

'Jim Brown: A Football Life' Airs Friday, November 11 at 9:00 PM ET

One-Hour Show Also Airs Following Browns-Ravens on 'Thursday Night Football' on November 10

"I was never going to let anybody make me feel that I was not top-shelf. And that was a battle that raged, and I could use a lot of that on the field." –Jim Brown

The sixth season of NFL Network's Emmy-nominated series A Football Life Presented by Gillette continues Friday, November 11 at 9:00 PM ET with Jim Brown: A Football Life, showing the significance of Jim Brown's accomplishments on and off the field. The one-hour show produced by NFL Films features guests including former football players Ray Lewis, Emmitt Smith, Marcus Allen, Curtis Martin, Dick Butkus, basketball Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, filmmaker Oliver Stone, civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson, Muhammad Ali's widow Lonnie Ali and more.

Jim Brown: A Football Life will also air following the Cleveland Browns-Baltimore Ravens game on Thursday Night Football on Thursday, November 10 on NFL Network.

Each episode of A Football Life – as well as all NFL Network programming – is streamed live on the NFL Mobile from Verizon app (NFL.com/mobile) and via Watch NFL Network on tablet (NFL Mobile and Watch NFL Network apps), PC (NFL.com/watch), Xbox One and Xbox 360(NFL on Xbox app) and other connected TV devices (NFL app on Apple TV and Playstation 4).

Jim Brown is often hailed as the greatest running back of all time. But while he has an impressive highlight reel, numerous awards and an established presence in the NFL record book, Brown also contributed greatly off the field in the area of racial equality in both sports and entertainment. Brown has never been afraid to stand up for what he believes in, and this dominant personality has proven an asset to his pioneering movements even today; his Amer-I-Can Program works with individuals including gang members to empower and help them achieve their fullest potential.

Narrated by Emmy-nominated actor Josh Charles, Jim Brown: A Football Life dives deep into Brown's dominance on the field as well as the personality attributes that make him such an impactful figure. He claims to have used his frustration toward racial inequality to fuel his determination on the field, and used this motivation to pioneer racial progress in the entertainment sector as well. During his playing career Brown formed powerful bonds over social activism with notable athletes such as Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and has continued his activism today.

To view a trailer for Jim Brown: A Football Life, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UVYwVJLKMA&feature=youtu.be

Among the topics discussed in Jim Brown: A Football Life are:

The racial inequality Brown faced at Syracuse that kept him from starting until his All-American senior year

Brown being drafted by the Browns and earning League MVP, rushing title, All-Pro honors, and more in his rookie season

The racism and inequality Brown faced off the field in his personal life even after achieving fame and recognition

Brown's relationship with famed boxer Muhammad Ali and their joint social activism against the Vietnam War

Brown's retirement in the prime of his career and subsequent career in the movie industry

Brown's current social activism efforts, including his Amer-I-Can Program, and helping gang members to rehabilitate their lives

Jim Brown: A Football Life includes interviews with the following people and more:



Jim Brown

Ray Lewis – Former NFL linebacker

Oliver Stone – Filmmaker

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Hall of Fame basketball player

Rev. Jesse Jackson – Civil rights activist

Emmitt Smith – Hall of Fame running back

Marcus Allen – Hall of Fame running back

Dr. Harry Edwards – Sociologist

Terry Pluto – Columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer

Dick Butkus – Hall of Fame linebacker

Paul Warfield – Browns teammate and Hall of Fame wide receiver

Bill Belichick – New England Patriots head coach

Larry Csonka – Hall of Fame running back

Bobby Mitchell – Browns teammate

Dr. Todd Boyd – USC film professor

Lonnie Ali – Widow of Muhammad Ali

Fred Williamson – Actor

Monique Brown – Wife of Jim Brown

Melvyn Hayward – Former gang member

Curtis Martin – Hall of Fame running back

Mary Kay Cabot – Columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer





Provided below are some select quotes from Jim Brown: A Football Life:

-"I'll tell you why I am the way that I am. It doesn't start on the field. It starts as a person. I was dealing with race since I was born. And in my inner-self, my strength was unbending when it came to accepting that B.S. – racial discrimination. Because I was never going to let anybody make me feel that I was not top-shelf. And that was a battle that raged, and I could use a lot of that on the field." –Jim Brown

-"Most dominant player to ever step on any athletic field." –Ray Lewis on Jim Brown

-"He's one. [Walter] Payton two. I fall three." –Emmitt Smith on Jim Brown

-"His principal legacy is going to be what he accomplished as a football player. But Jim Brown was not principally a great football player. Jim Brown was a great man who just also happened to play a great game of football." –Dr. Harry Edwards

-"Paul [Brown] was Julius Caesar. He was a ruler. And I was a very determined person, set in my ways to a certain degree, so we always had a little edge in our relationship." –Jim Brown on his relationship with coach Paul Brown

-"Jim Brown really represented achievement for the black community. And he was so good that it didn't matter what color they were; they had to acknowledge him as the best in his field. And that meant a lot to black Americans in the 60s, when everything that any black person achieved was questioned as to whether it was significant. But there were no question marks about Jim Brown." –Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

-"Jim changed Hollywood financially. It opened doors because all of the sudden Hollywood realized that there was a black audience they had been missing all along." –Fred Williamson

-"We are not going to change this world through guns and soldiers and violence. It will be through love and understanding, and the first person you have to love is yourself." –Jim Brown

-"Even when the sidewalk is broken, if there's a little crack of dirt, a flower blossoms and comes out. Jim worked in the cracks to let the flowers blossom." –Rev. Jesse Jackson

-"I think he's one of the most important athletes and one of the most important cultural figures in American history, plain and simple." –Dr. Todd Boyd

This year, the 13-episode season of the highly-acclaimed series A Football Life airs Friday at 9:00 PM ET. Below is a broadcast schedule for the upcoming episodes of A Football Life:

November 18 – Steve Smith Sr.

– Steve Smith Sr. November 25 – Chuck Noll

– Chuck Noll December 2 – Troy Aikman

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