Terry Pluto:  After Al Lerner died and Randy Lerner, the son, took over, Jim (Brown) became a little bit more visible as a senior advisor to the owner. He made anywhere from $250,000 to $500,000 in different seasons for this job, which was basically hang around with the owner and sometimes to talk with the team if the coach wanted. And that was it, Amanda. That was his role. What they did is they offered Jim Brown a chance to still be affiliated with the organization at $100,000 a year. Jim got very upset by this. Of course, he wrote this very inflammatory letter and leaked it to the media. The Browns almost don’t have to say another word. Why did we back off from this guy? Because his anger is so apparent.
 

Amanda Rabinowitz: Did the anger pre-date this letter that he wrote?
 

TP: Yeah, I think it goes back quite a ways. Jim has felt, I think, that he was this great player who wasn’t fully recognized. One former offensive lineman was telling me the other day that he felt Jim just never got over being the star. I think he was probably greatest running back ever. Certainly one of the, if not the greatest ever. (But) most people have never seen Jim Brown play. He’s 74 years old. He retired in 1965.
AR:  So if he’s revered as one of the greatest running backs ever, why not pay him the $500,000 to keep him on board?

Was this part of Mike Holmgrem, who is the new president, his plan to restructure everything?
 

TP: I think so, yeah, the feeling is that if Mike Holmgrem is going to run the team he wants his own advisors, and he obviously felt probably from some of the discussions with Jim Brown that Jim Brown wasn’t on board.
 

AR: Another Cleveland sports icon Bob Feller. He’s the third oldest baseball Hall of Fame member, battling some health problems. Can you contrast the relationship that Jim Brown has with The Browns and Bob Feller has with the Indians.
 

TP: One thing they both have in common they’re not afraid to speak their mind, they’re both kinda crusty. When some reporters asked Bob Feller about this phenom pitcher Strasburg from Washington they said “What do you think of him?” he said “Ask me after he wins his first hundred games.” So another time Wes Levine, a friend of mine, a broadcaster, asked Bob to list his five greatest pitchers, he listed four of all time. And then Wes says, “Well, Bob, you only listed four” and Bob says “I know that.” So Bob wasn’t saying he’s the fifth. But Bob…he and the Indians, they got along, he would do these promotional things for ‘em. I don’t think he was making anywhere near the money, by the way, the browns were paying Jim Brown. He was able to do his card shows in conjunction with the team and I think he liked being a Cleveland Indian, hangin around. And he also knew the fans were a big part that allowed him at age 70, and 80, and 90, to do card shows and I doubt any players ever signed more autographs than Bob Feller. And now with him battling leukemia I think a lot of people even those who have seen Bob kinda grumble…there isn’t much like him. He would sit up there and thinks pitch counts are crazy and everyone should pitch nine innings and put heat on their arms and “you know…these guys are a bunch of wimps” and so it was done with a half a smile and a half a grumble and it just seemed to play well. And he’s probably reading Jim Brown’s letter saying what is this man’s problem.
 

AR: You know is there a real difference between the NFL and MLB in how they treat their players of the yesteryear?
 

TP: The one thing that’s really helped is that the Major League Players Association, the union, has done a much better job of getting their former players pension benefits and medical benefits than the football union has done. In fact, really, the former players’ big issue isn’t so much with the NFL owners as it is with the NFL union.