Bill Belichick Believes NFL Should Retire Browns Legend’s Jersey Number
Bill Belichick may be most associated with the New England Patriots, the franchise he coached to six Super Bowl championships, but he was also the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1991 to 1995.
While the Browns have regularly broken the hearts of their fans for decades, there was a time when they were a legitimate NFL heavyweight, thanks mainly to legendary running back Jim Brown.
While on the “Let’s Go” podcast, Belichick said that the entire NFL should retire Brown’s No. 32 jersey, just as Major League Baseball did with Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 jersey
Brown was arguably the greatest running back in football history, and he is the only player who averaged over 100 rushing yards per game for his whole career.
He made the Pro Bowl in each of his nine NFL seasons, was selected to the All-Pro First Team eight times and led the league in rushing yards eight times.
In 1964, he led the Browns to the league title, and it stood as Cleveland’s last world championship in any major sport until the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers went all the way in 2016.
Brown tried his hand at acting after retiring in 1966, and he became a civil rights leader who also helped to alleviate gang violence, especially in Los Angeles.
He retired as the NFL’s all-time leader in overall touchdowns, and that record stood for nearly 30 years until legendary San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice broke it in Week 1 of the 1994 season.
He died last May of natural causes at the age of 87.
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With a 1-2 record, the Cleveland Browns have plenty of issues to sort out as they prepare to visit the Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson continues to be stuck in a mystifying funk, and they have plenty of deficiencies on both sides of the football.
