Legendary NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown is disputing reports of him authenticating his 1964 Cleveland Browns championship ring, which he says is being auctioned online without his permission.
In an interview with cleveland.com, Brown claims the ring was stolen from him years ago and who believes a police report was filed days after the theft. Until Monday, the former football great, who says he never spoke to the auction house about the item’s authenticity, had no knowledge that the only championship ring he ever won was being auctioned online.
According to a description on Lelands.com, which features a picture of the bauble, “the ring was obtained directly from a Brown immediate family member and sold by the website in 1998. During that original auction preview, Jim Brown himself inspected the ring and acknowledged its authenticity.
“That’s a lie,” Brown told cleveland.com. “I never spoke to anyone from there about the authenticity of the ring and I never would have given that ring to a family member.”
“The whole claim is false,” continued the former NFL star, who admitted to being aware of the auction on Monday after reporters seeking comment contacted him. “There’s no way I would have sold that ring. I’m going to have to contact an attorney to see what I can do about it.”
As of late Monday afternoon, the highest bid was $33,275, Cleveland.com reports. The auction ends July 25.
A phone call and email sent by Cleveland.com to the online auction house was not immediately returned.
During his days in the NFL, Brown rushed for 1,446 yards and seven touchdowns while helping lead Browns and Cleveland to their last major sports title in 1964. The former running back, who works for the Browns as a special advisor, ran for 12,312 yards during his nine seasons as a player with the team.
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