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'I can't see' Brown unable to read his own apology
Posted: Tuesday December 21, 1999 11:33 PM
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Orlando Brown, his right eye covered with a metal patch, looked down at his handwritten apology and said he couldn't even read it. The Cleveland Browns offensive tackle walked out of his hospital room Tuesday to speak publicly for the first time since pushing a referee to the ground after a penalty flag hit him in his eye. Accompanied by his wife, Mira, Brown prepared to read a statement on notebook paper at an impromptu news conference at the Cleveland Clinic. When he glanced at the lined sheet, he said softly, "I can't see. My wife will read it." In the statement, which he and his wife wrote, Brown said he was sorry and deeply regretted pushing referee Jeff Triplette. "I want the fans to understand that I attempted to return to the play, not to confront the official," Brown said in the statement. "I hope to regain all of my eyesight so I can continue to play for the Browns, the Cleveland fans and to continue to care for my family." While Brown remained hospitalized, the NFL was deciding whether to punish the 6-foot-7, 350-pound player, known to his teammates as "Zeus." While it did not announce its decision Tuesday, the league did say it will review the way referees throw flags. Brown was injured in Cleveland's game Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars when Triplette's flag -- weighted with BBs -- hit the tackle directly in the eye. In obvious pain, Brown staggered to the sideline before walking back onto the field and flattening Triplette with a two-handed shove to the chest. Brown said in a statement Monday that his family history drove him to push the referee. His father, Claude, lost his sight to glaucoma in 1993. Brown said he has been told by doctors that because there is a family history of vision-related problems that he could have permanent damage in his eye. His agent, Tom Condon, said doctors had not yet determined how long Brown would be hospitalized. He said his client wanted to speak publicly because all his previous comments had been delivered through "third-party statements" and the fans "wanted to hear it from him." However, Brown had little to say other than he couldn't read his apology himself. After his wife read the statement, Brown was asked whether he could put it in his own words, but Condon interrupted him as he began answering. Brown then abruptly left, saying "These [TV] lights are killing me." Condon was hesitant to answer a question concerning a possible lawsuit against the league should Brown's injury be career-ending. "Our main concern right now is just to have him regain his vision and be able to continue to play," he said. "But certainly we're going to discuss some of those type of issues with the league and the player's association." Several teammates visited Brown on Tuesday, including Lomas Brown, Ty Detmer, Kevin Johnson and John Thierry, who earlier handed out Christmas gifts to children in the pediatric wards. When he was taken to the hospital Sunday night, Brown was accompanied by Lomas Brown, who is out for the season with a knee injury. "He was hurting real bad and he knew it was bad because of how swollen it was," said Brown, a 14-year veteran. "Then, when the eye specialist came in and started talking about the pressure around his eye, that's when I really knew how bad it was." After seeing his teammate injured, Lomas Brown was pleased to hear the league was taking steps to ensure something like this never happens again. "It something that needed to be addressed," he said. "Unfortunately, now we've seen what can happen."
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