Opinion: Jim Brown's rap sheet disqualifies him from my list of greatest NFL players

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/brennan/2019/10/23/why-jim-brown-not-among-greatest-nfl-players/2452787001/

Jim Brown is No. 4 on the USA TODAY Sports list of the top all-time NFL players, but he’s not No. 4 on mine. In fact, he’s not on my list at all.

I didn’t forget about him. Quite the opposite actually. As one of the 19 voters on the panel who determined the list, I thought long and hard about what to do with Brown, whom many consider the greatest NFL player ever, with statistics that include 12,312 rushing yards and 106 touchdowns, both records when he retired after the 1965 season.

But if Jim Brown were playing today, he wouldn’t be playing at all. In the post-Ray Rice NFL, he would have long since been kicked out of the league.

You want statistics? Take a look at these from USA TODAY Sports' archives:

In 1965, an 18-year-old woman accused Brown of forcing her to have sex after giving her alcohol, but a jury found him innocent of assault and battery in a 10-day trial.

In 1968, Brown was accused of throwing a woman from a balcony, but when the 22-year-old refused to name Brown as her assailant, the charge of assault with intent to murder was dropped.

In 1969, Brown was acquitted of assaulting a man after a traffic accident.

In 1971, charges that Brown battered two women were dropped after they failed to testify at his trial.

In 1978, Brown was fined $500 and jailed for a day for beating up a fellow golfer in an argument over the placement of a golf ball.

In 1985, Brown was charged with rape, sexual battery and assault, but the charges were dropped when the 33-year-old woman gave inconsistent testimony.

In 1986, Brown was arrested for allegedly beating his girlfriend after accusing her of flirting. He spent three hours in jail, but three days later the 21-year-old woman said she didn't want to prosecute.

In 1999, Brown was convicted in Los Angeles of smashing the window of his 25-year-old wife’s car but was acquitted of making terrorist threats against her. The judge sentenced him to three years' probation, stripped him of his driver's license for a year and ordered him to attend counseling for domestic abusers.

We want to honor this man? I have another idea. How about shunning him forever?