The NFL — and football itself — has changed a lot over the decades, but watching old footage of Jim Brown is still nothing short of magical. When The New York Times reported that he had announced his retirement in 1966, they also talked about a ton of awards, and the fact that he'd rushed the equivalent of nearly seven miles in his nine years in the NFL. Just a year prior to retiring, he had been named the league MVP, held scores of records, and in those years of suiting up for the Browns, he hadn't missed a single game. He was young, healthy, and on top of the world ... so, what happened?
Simply put, he got hit by the acting bug. According to ESPN, Brown's shock announcement came after he headed to London for a part in "The Dirty Dozen." He ultimately starred in more than 30 movies, and in addition to the complicated legacy he left behind, he's also been outspoken in the NFL's treatment of older vets.
In 2019, Brown wrote a scathing condemnation of the league for The New York Times, revealing the retirement plan for players who retired pre-1993: $365 a month per season played. That, he wrote, left many of the players — who helped shape the NFL into the multi-billion-dollar industry it is today — struggling, often in the face of medical bills mounting from conditions and injuries sustained while playing. He considered himself fortunate to have found a second career.
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