Orlando Claude Brown Sr. (November 12, 1970 – September 23, 2011) was an

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 ...

player who played

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

in the NFL for 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 ...

and

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

. He attended

Howard D. Woodson High School , motto_translation = In days to come, it will please us to remember this , address = 540 55th St. NE , city = Washington D.C. , zipcode = 20019 , country = United States , ...

. 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 ...

for

Willie Jeffries Willie E. Jeffries (born January 4, 1937) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at South Carolina State University for 19 seasons in two stints, five seasons at Wichita State University, and five sea ...

South Carolina State University South Carolina State University (SCSU or SC State) is a public, historically black, land-grant university in Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States. It is the only public, historically black land-grant institution in South Carolina, is a mem ...

. He was nicknamed "Zeus".

Early years

Brown was born in 1970 in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Brown attended H. D. Woodson Senior High School. He went to

and played

NFL career

Cleveland Browns

Brown signed with the

as an undrafted free agent in 1993. He spent three seasons with the Browns.

Baltimore Ravens

In 1996, the Browns franchise was moved by owner

Art Modell Arthur Bertram Modell (June 23, 1925 – September 6, 2012) was an American businessman, entrepreneur and National Football League team owner. He owned the Cleveland Browns franchise for 35 years and established the Baltimore Ravens franchis ...

to Baltimore, becoming the

. In his first stint as a Raven, Brown who, at 6-foot-7, 360 pounds, was known as an energetic and intimidating player, earned the nickname "Zeus". In his prime he was one of the highest-paid offensive linemen in the NFL.

Second stint with Browns

Brown was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the "reactivated"

before the 1999 season. During a December 19, 1999, game against the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

, Brown was hit in the right eye by a penalty flag weighted with ball bearings thrown by referee

Jeff Triplette Jeff Triplette (born March 12, 1951) is a retired American football official in the National Football League (NFL) from the 1996 season through the 2017 season. He wore uniform number 42. Personal life Triplette is a retired Army Reserve col ...

. Triplette immediately apologized to Brown. Brown left the game temporarily, then returned to the field only to shove Triplette, knocking him to the ground. Brown was ejected from the game and had to be escorted off the field by his teammates. Brown was subsequently suspended by the NFL, but the suspension was lifted when the severity of his injury became apparent. Brown missed three seasons due to temporary blindness. Brown was one of only two players to have played for the original Cleveland Browns and the Browns after the team was revived in 1999, as most of the Browns roster was moved to Baltimore. The other player is

Antonio Langham Collie Antonio Langham (born July 31, 1972) is an American former college and professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the University of Alabama, a ...

Out of football, injuries, and lawsuits

Brown sat out the entire

2000 NFL season The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants, 34–7, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Week 1 of the s ...

waiting for his right eye to heal. The Browns released him after the season. In 2001, he sued the NFL for $200 million in damages. According to reports, he settled for a sum between $15 million and $25 million in 2002.

Second stint with Ravens

Brown spent the 2001 and 2002 seasons in rehabilitation before he was picked back up by the Ravens in 2003. During the 2003 season, Brown started at both offensive and

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

in a game against the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

. He remained with the team until being released in March 2006. Following his retirement, Brown retained ties with the Ravens and mentored players.

After football

After retiring from football, Brown went into the restaurant business, and became the owner of the first

Fatburger Fatburger North America Inc. (doing business as Fatburger) is an American fast casual restaurant chain. Its tagline is ''The Last Great Hamburger Stand''. While it is a fast food restaurant, the food is cooked and made to order. Some Fatburge ...

franchise in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. In September 2009, Brown was arrested and charged with third-degree burglary and destruction of property. The charges were later dropped.

Death

Brown was found dead on September 23, 2011, in his Baltimore townhouse. The state medical examiner ruled that Brown died of

diabetic ketoacidosis Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a potentially life-threatening complication of diabetes mellitus. Signs and symptoms may include vomiting, abdominal pain, deep gasping breathing, increased urination, weakness, confusion and occasionally loss of ...

, an ailment common among diabetics and caused by high blood sugar and lack of insulin.

Personal life

Brown had three sons and two daughters. One son, Orlando Jr., plays for the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Orlando 1970 births 2011 deaths American football offensive tackles Baltimore Ravens players Central State Marauders football players Cleveland Browns players Players of American football from Washington, D.C. South Carolina State Bulldogs football players H. D. Woodson High School alumni Deaths from diabetes Ed Block Courage Award recipients