During a December 19, 1999 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Brown was accidentally hit in the right eye by a penalty marker weighted with ball bearings thrown by referee Jeff Triplette.[2] Triplette immediately apologized to Brown. Brown was holding his hand to his eye and then shoved Triplette, knocking him to the ground. Brown was ejected from the game and subsequently suspended by the NFL, although the suspension was lifted when his injury did not heal. Brown was one of only two players to have played for the original Cleveland Browns and the Browns after the team was revived in 1999, as most of the Browns roster was moved to Baltimore. The other player is Antonio Langham.
Out of football, injuries, and lawsuits[edit]
Brown sat out the entire 2000 season waiting for his right eye to heal. The Browns released him after the season. In 2001, he sued the NFL for $200 million in damages. According to reports, he settled for a sum between $15 million and $25 million in 2002.[2]