Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Former S.C. State/Central State's Orlando Brown dies at age 40

Brown played for legendary Coach Willie Jeffries at South Carolina State University 

Baltimore, MD - Orlando Brown, 40, a mammoth offensive tackle who sued the National Football League in 1999 after he was struck in the eye by an errant flag thrown by an official, was found dead Sept. 23 at his home in Baltimore.

Rescue workers were called to Mr. Brown’s home when he was found unresponsive. Determination of the cause of death is pending an investigation by the Maryland medical examiner.

Mr. Brown, who grew up in Northeast Washington, was a bruising 6-foot-7, 360-pound behemoth who played 10 seasons in the NFL, despite missing three years because of his eye injury. He earned a reputation as one of the toughest and most aggressive players in the league.

During a game in Cleveland on Dec. 19, 1999, referee Jeff Triplette threw his flag while calling a penalty on another player. The flag, weighted with a small bag of metal pellets, passed through Mr. Brown’s face mask and struck him in the right eye, causing immediate partial blindness.

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