NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown is suing a New York auction house to block the sale of his 1964 championship ring he won with the Cleveland Browns — one he claims was stolen from him decades ago.
The former Browns great filed the lawsuit in Manhattan federal court Wednesday seeking a court order for Lelands.com , of Bohemia, NY, and its chairman Josh Evans to return the ring to him, saying it’s “very important” because it’s the only championship he ever won in his storied career.
“The 1964 NFL Championship ring is very important to Jim Brown, not for its monetary value, but because of what it stands for,” the suit says. “It is a symbol of Jim Brown’s accomplishments as a professional football player on the only professional football team on which he played.
“Winning the NFL Championship in 1964 was almost a culmination of his successes as a football player, and the 1964 Championship ring is a reminder of the great Browns’ team on which Jim Brown played, and of the camaraderie and friendships that he made on the Browns’ team.”
Brown’s ring is up for bidding on Lelands.com until Friday, and as of 11 am Wednesday the high bid was $58,948.
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 following the 1966 season and went on to an acting career that included a storied role in “The Dirty Dozen.”
The win remains the Cleveland Browns’ only championship.
Evans has previously told various media outlets that he bought the ring legally in 1998 from a Brown family member he declined to name.
Brown, however, says it was stolen from his Cleveland home more than four decades ago.
The suit also claims that Evans lied to CBS Morning News during a July 10 interview by “implying” Brown is lying and that the Hall of Famer has “diminished mental capacity as a result of ‘taking thousands of hits to his head.’”
Evans in a statement said, “While [Lelands] regret this controversy with Jim Brown, who we personally admire as a great athlete, the claims made by him are entirely without merit and we intend to vigorously defend against them.
“Our reputation for authenticity and credibility is unparalleled and we will provide the purchaser of the ring a 100-percent guarantee,” Evans added.