Former Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown remains as one of the most legendary football players ever. But more than his play on the field, Brown has become known for his outspoken stances and displayed such after saying Kobe Bryant was “confused about culture” on The Arsenio Hall Show.
The NFL Hall Of Fame athlete and activist sat down with Hall on Monday (December 9) and the host mentioned the return of Bryant to the Los Angeles Lakers after a long layoff due to injury. When Hall asked Brown his opinion of the all-star guard, he didn’t mince words one bit and even defended Bryant’s former teammate, Shaquille O’Neal.
“He threw Shaq under the bus,” said Brown, recalling the pair’s well-known feud of the past. “And he is somewhat confused about culture, because he was brought up in another country so he doesn’t quite fit what’s happening in America.”
Brown didn’t deny Bryant’s greatness on the court, but he furthered piled it on with the interview’s most damaging remarks that seemed to question the player’s devotion to the struggles of Black athletes.
“In the days when we had a summit and called the top Black athletes together to talk to Muhammad Ali about his status with the armed forces, there were some athletes we didn’t call,” Brown added. “If I had to call that summit all over there’d be some athletes I wouldn’t call. Kobe would be one of them.”
Watch the clip of Jim Brown on The Arsenio Hall Show on the jump. Was he on point or off base? Let us know in the comments.
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Photo: YouTube
