Jason W. Brown (born May 5, 1983) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

and current

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

and was drafted by the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

in the fourth round of the

2005 NFL Draft The 2005 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The NFL draft, draft was held April 23–24, 2005 NFL seaso ...

Early years

Brown was born and raised in

Henderson, North Carolina Henderson is a city and the county seat of Vance County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 15,060 at the 2020 census. History The city was named in honor of former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Leonard Henderson, w ...

where he attended

Northern Vance High School Northern Vance High School was a high school in Henderson, North Carolina, USA, located at 293 Warrenton Road. The school's mascot was a Viking and the fight song was the "Notre Dame Victory March". History The school opened as Vance Senior Hig ...

, where he was a member of the

National Honor Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nationwide organization for high school students in the United States and outlying territories, which consists of many chapters in high schools. Selection is based on four criteria: scholarship (academic achi ...

. He was a member of the marching band until the football coach recruited him to play football. He was a standout not only in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

but also in

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

. He holds four state championships; three in discus and one for

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

College career

Brown did not miss a game during his career at

. He was named First-team All-

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

in 2004. Brown first saw action in his freshman year at right tackle against

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

. Brown started his career at The University of North Carolina as a tackle, then

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

. He was later moved to

, where he played the remaining three years of his college career.

Professional career

2005 NFL Draft

Along with Chris Spencer, Brown was considered one of the best centers available in the

. He was projected as a mid-third round pick, and was eventually selected in the fourth round (124th overall) by the Baltimore Ravens.

Baltimore Ravens

Jason Brown started all 16 games at guard in the 2007 season after spending 2005 and 2006 as a backup to Ravens starter Mike Flynn. He later started all 16 games in the 2008 season as a center. He was considered the best interior

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

going into free agency after the end of season.

St. Louis Rams

Brown visited the Rams in the first day of free agency February 27, 2009. The next day, he agreed to a five-year deal worth $37.5 million, including a $20 million in guaranteed money. The deal would make Brown the highest paid center in the NFL. However, on March 10, it was reported that the contract has been disapproved by the league and the two sides were working to correct the issue. The deal was finally approved by the NFL on March 12. On March 12, 2012, Brown was released by the Rams.

Free agency

Brown became an unrestricted free agent and received a conservative one-year contract offer from the

and attended visits with the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

and

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

After football

Brown chose to walk away from football in 2012 at the age of 29 to become a farmer in

Louisburg, North Carolina Louisburg is a town in Franklin County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,064. It is the county seat of Franklin County. The town is located approximately 29 miles northeast of the state capital, Ra ...

. He maintains a 1,000-acre farm called First Fruits Farm where he grows produce such as

sweet potatoes The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the bindweed or morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable. The young sho ...

and cucumbers. He donates these crops to local food pantries, having given away over 500,000 pounds of sweet potatoes and 50,000 pounds of cucumbers. Brown began learning about farming practices in 2012 by watching

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

videos. Brown also owns and manages a special events venue called Amazing Graze Barn, which is located on the grounds of First Fruits Farm.Amazing Graze Barn - About Us
Retrieved Oct. 13, 2019. The barn is available for hosting weddings as well as corporate events and community gatherings.

Personal life

Brown, who is

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, is a practicing

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

. Jason and Tay Brown married in 2003. They have 8 children.

References

External links

North Carolina Tar Heels bioSt. Louis Rams bioWisdom For Life and First Fruits FarmAmazing Graze Barn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Jason 1983 births Living people African-American farmers African-American players of American football 20th-century American farmers American football centers American football offensive guards Baltimore Ravens players Farmers from North Carolina North Carolina Tar Heels football players People from Henderson, North Carolina Players of American football from North Carolina St. Louis Rams players