NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown was slapped with a $2 million defamation suit Friday by a New York auction house, which accused the ex-gridiron great of lying to block the sale of the 1964 championship ring he won with the Cleveland Browns.
Lelands.com, of Bohemia, NY, and its chairman, Josh Evans, filed the counterclaim in Manhattan Federal Court.
They are accusing the former Browns superstar of filing “false” court affidavits and lying in a lawsuit filed last month by claiming the ring was stolen from him decades ago.
Lelands also claims that the publicity from Brown’s suit will prevent it from getting fair market value for the NFL Championship ring.
“Upon information and belief, Lelands would have sold the ring for over $250,000 but for Jim Brown’s false statements and disputing Lelands’ title to the ring,” the counterclaim says.
“Upon information and belief, the negative press generated by Jim Brown’s false statements will discourage potential bidders (including those that previously bid on the ring) from participating if and when the ring is again put up for action.”
After Brown sued Lelands to try getting the ring back, a judge issued an order holding back the sale of the ring until the suit is resolved. At the time, the highest bid was $58,948, but it was still early in the process.
Brown’s ex-wife, Sue, either obtained the ring during divorce proceedings in the early 1970s or through Brown’s “abandonment” — and then sold it to a Cleveland-based sports memorabilia collector, Lelands’ countersuit alleges. Lelands then allegedly bought the ring in 1991, sold it a year later and repurchased it in May.
However, Lelands’ version of the story is a far cry from claims it previously made on its Web site and in media interviews. It previously said the company purchased the ring directly from a Brown family member.
“This claim tells a completely different story from what they’ve been telling for years,” Brown’s lawyer, Neal Brickman, said.
He added that Sue Brown is willing to testify that the ring was stolen.
The superstar running back carried the Browns to a 27-0 victory in the 1964 NFL Championship over the Baltimore Colts by rushing for 114 yards.
He retired a year later, at age 30, after the 1966 season and went on to an acting career that included a storied role in “The Dirty Dozen.”
The football win remains the Cleveland Browns’ only championship.
Brown claims the ring was stolen from his Cleveland home more than four decades ago. He says the ring for the 1964 NFL Championship – which predates the Super Bowl – is “very important” because it’s the only championship he ever won.