In attendance at today's White House Medal of Freedom ceremony was Cleveland Browns' former running back, Jim Brown.
Brown was on hand to support his friend and colleague, Bill Russell, one of fifteen 2010 recipients of the prestigious presidential Medal of Freedom.
"For Bill to be recognized means they got it right", said Brown. "I'm here to totally support a great friend and a wonderful humanitarian."
Russell works with Brown's Amer-I-Can program Brown says he created "to help those individuals at the bottom of the rung to get themselves together, [to] stop killing each other, and educate themselves." Ameri-I-Can helps young men learn how to become responsible for themselves, families, and community.
Brown was forthcoming on several other issues DC UrbanSports asked him about including what can be done with disruptive player actions like that of Michael Vick, Ben Rolesthisburger, and Albert Haynesworth.
Brown said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, whom he called a "good man", has reached out to him about his work with the Ameri-I-Can project, and that talks are on-going at this time that will allow Brown and his organization to team up with the NFL to provide their services.
"The league has to deal with a lot of things they aren't equipped to deal with", said Brown. "The league has to get new blood in the executive capacity to be able to relate to the athletes that they have, that they're not connecting with."
Brown thinks the commissioner is trying his best at dealing with the NFL's player conduct issues.
"He's trying his best to reach out, and he has contacted a lot of us who represent the ability to reach some of these young men."
Talks with Commissioner Goodell are in the works for Brown to be able to provide his 'player development' services through his current program.
When it comes to the topic of the NFL's CBA negotiations (or lack thereof), Brown says the issue is "quite simple."
"Both sides have to come together. There's enough money, and all we have to do is get rid of the selfishness. There is no opposing side, because all they're talking about is how much. And when you're talking about how much, it should never be a matter of greed."
Brown said a lot of the ongoing player/owner issues could be resolved "if they do the right thing."
We'll have a rookie agreement, a salary cap, we'll deal with the pension plan, and we'll deal with health care for the old players and represent that properly", added Brown.
While the issue of an eighteen-game season vs a sixteen-game season is still what Brown says is "up in the air", Brown is clear about the NFL's labor situation:
"There should be no lockout, no strike, none of that. It's just a matter of sharing the positive things."
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