Jim Brown Rips Tiger Woods for Failure to Speak Out on Social Issues

Jim Brown was one of the greatest athletes of the 20th Century, a Hall of Fame running back for the Cleveland Browns who dominated his sport in the 1950s and 1960s. But Brown wasn't content just to succeed on the field.

Brown always said he had a social responsibility that went far beyond football, and after retiring he started the Amer-I-Can Program and has worked tirelessly to promote education and curtail gang violence, efforts that he says other professional athletes should emulate. And in an interview scheduled to air Tuesday on HBO, Brown singled out Tiger Woods as the one athlete whose failure to work for social change most disappoints him.

In a profile of Brown and Bill Russell that will air on HBO's Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel, Brown ripped Woods, expressing disappointment that Woods shows such passion on the golf course but doesn't seem passionate about making a difference in society.

"You know what's so interesting about Tiger to me?" Brown said. "He is a killer, he will run over you, he will kick your ass. But as an individual for social change? Terrible. Terrible. Because he can get away with teaching kids to play golf, and that's his contribution. In the real world, I can't teach kids to play golf and that's my contribution, if I've got that kind of power."

This isn't the first time Brown has criticized Woods; last year Brown said he thinks Woods is too politically correct. And in fairness to Woods, it should be pointed out that his Tiger Woods Foundation has spent millions of dollars on educational programs, so it isn't accurate to say that teaching kids to play golf is his only contribution to society.

But it's certainly also true that Woods usually tiptoes around controversial issues. That obviously irks Brown, a great athlete who never backed away from controversy.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

6-20-2009 @ 2:10PM

David E. Moore said...

Jim Brown is one of he biggest racist in America. He is pissed at Tiger Woods because he is not out preaching black power. He has made his fortune off this country, yet he has to wear his African hats, and keep the black kids seperated from the white kids. Instead of following the likes of Brown Tiger is pushing education for kids, something that the over whelming majority of black men frown on. The answer is to educate black kids, not teach them to complain and make excuses, and try and make them think that in some way they are different from white kids. If guys like Brown who are widely respected in the black community, would talk more about everyone being the same, and that everyone has an opportunity to succeed in this country kids would listen. Stop with the BET,and Miss Black America. We are all Americans, and the more of these groups like BET, and the black causcus, keep everyone segregated, the longer we are going to stay secregated.

6-20-2009 @ 5:04PM

Andy Patrick said...

" Instead of following the likes of Brown Tiger is pushing education for kids, something that the over whelming majority of black men frown on."

Pardon? Do you have any sort of statistics or anything like that to back up this passive racist statement?

6-21-2009 @ 3:02PM

Sky's the limit! said...

I AGREE WITH YOU DAVID...ANDY YOU DONT NEED STATISTICS...JUST GO TO A LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL AND SEE FOR YOURSELF.

6-20-2009 @ 2:18PM

mike said...

I don't agree with everything Jim Brown says, but he's done so much good in his life, both in sports and in the "real world," that I respect everything he says.

6-21-2009 @ 4:14PM

Phil said...

How many women Jim Brown beat up? He's a racist. Tiger Woods is a positive power of example how men, black or white, should be. Brown doesn't get it.

6-20-2009 @ 2:24PM

manny9423 said...

Jim Brown did all his charity work after retiring, Tiger has a long way to go but he has already developed many programs for kids. He is also not pushing the race issue and sorry to say but Jim Brown still has a chip on his shoulder. He was a great running back but he also had several domestic issues.

6-20-2009 @ 3:04PM

Ron said...

jim BRown is a loser whose involvement with black athletes has pulled them down.

6-20-2009 @ 3:39PM

mistermagic72 said...

Tiger Wood is a wimp like Obama! Jim is a real hero!

6-20-2009 @ 4:06PM

RCMJ said...

Jim Brown hates Tiger because Tiger married a white woman. Jim Brown is a great helper with American or whatever he calls it but I dont see him backing Bill cosby when he talks about education and being responsible parents to our children.

6-20-2009 @ 4:10PM

dualstone40 said...

Different people, different era. Because Jim Brown did doesn't mean Tiger should. No one's telling Phil Mickleson he has to speak out about issues. The fact that Tiger is succeeding in a White male dominated sport sends an extremly positive message that YOU CAN TOO.

6-20-2009 @ 5:54PM

Angelia said...

Has Brown ever heard of "LEADING BY EXAMPLE"? THAT is what Tiger does. Brown needs to keep his racist ass quiet and let Tiger do his own thing. I am sick of people like him trying to blame everything on "the white man". After all, Tiger is half Asian and Half Black.

6-20-2009 @ 6:04PM

wckline said...

Jim Brown should go beat another woman. Tiger Woods has done many things for the black community, and continues to promote youth programs for all races. Who made Jim Brown the Pope. Most young black people don't even know who he is. Jim Brown always blames the white man, but he took the money from the white man in sports and the movies. Hell I'll bet he even likes white women. Jim Brown look in the mirror.

6-20-2009 @ 6:10PM

Andy Patrick, I do not have statistics. Just look at how blacks treated Bill Cosby, when he basically said the same thing I said. Look at how blacks talk about Condeleesa Rice. Any time a black peron tries to do something positve for the black community, they are called an Uncle Tom, or "they are not black enough." its rediculous. You want to hear an intelligent well spoken black, man google Dr. Walter Williams. George Washington Carver, was a great role model. Most black kids dont even know who he is. There are so many black role models, and qualified black men in this country, yet the blacks decided to vote for a man with no experience running anything, owning anything or working for anyone besides the Government, just because he can read a telepromptor that was prepared by the Democratic party.

6-20-2009 @ 10:07PM

ajalbetjr said...

David E. Moore, do you know what's sad? That the first part of your comments (mentioning how Bill Cosby was criticized) are DEAD ON; however, in attacking the POTUS in your half-baked and short-sited way has just undermined everything you stated at the beginning...How can you mention George Washington Carver in one sentence and then conveniently omit "Columbia and Harvard-educated, first African-American President of the Harvard Law Review" in describing Barak Obama??? That's even more more hypocritical than the nonsense Jim Brown is spewing. Please do not interject a sharp, honest assessment of how some famous blacks are treated with parts of the black community, with a ill-advised short-sited 'copy-and-paste' lemming-following political diatribe...and I didn't even mention the incredibly ignorant and poorly-stated of "the blacks decided to vote..."

6-20-2009 @ 6:15PM

Andy Patrick-at least be creative, dont you have something besides the same old, anything said critical of blacks is a racist statment. Yet Jim Brown can all me a white boy, redneck, and I am supposed to have thick skin. My jewish buddies, asian buddies we can joke and have a constructive critical talk, but if you make anystatement about chicken, monkeys, or watermelon in the same sentence with a black person, you are automatically a racist.

6-20-2009 @ 6:21PM

Kyle said...

brown is right, folks like tiger or michael jordan or lebron have the platform and the influence where they could speak out about injustice and it would make the front page everytime. i'm sure their foundations and charities do great work, but it's only a fraction of the potential power they hold.

6-20-2009 @ 6:42PM

jcs11929 said...

Jim Brown is just another in a long line of old black athletes, that having made a fortune from playing sports, they all of a sudden get "religion", and start ripping, "Whitey", or other black athletes that don't believe in whatever stupid cause it is that they believe in. How many times has Tiger beaten his wife, or gotten into trouble with anyone? Brown's brain has been fried by wearing that stupid, "coke bottle top hat", of
his.

6-20-2009 @ 6:48PM

dinohealth said...

Let's just say that Jim Brown did it his way, in his generation, and Tiger, is doing it his way in this generation. Let's leave it at that! Brown going public with this does not really help anything; especially if all he had to do is give Tiger a call if he feels so strongly about it. Bad judgement, Jim! Especially disappointing from a guy that made split-second decisions at high speed! I wonder if Jim brown would have been so vocal if he were still actively pursuing his living playing a sport....

7-15-2009 @ 1:51AM

pophale2 said...

This is not just for you! Jim Brown along with Bill Russell form a group in the sixties of the top athletes in their perspective sport to help our communities. Jim Brown like in his playing days was a man of courage and strength. he spoke out then and still does today. Atleast he is putting himself on the line for someone other than himself.He could take the money and live in the suburbs quietly like a lot of athletes who do not reinvest in their communities. He works with that part of society that everyone has giving up on or do not care about until they break into your house !!!

How many of you spend the amount of time with less fortunate people like Mr. Brown? What will your legacy be?

6-20-2009 @ 9:12PM

cpbr2000 said...

Jim Brown needs to leave Tiger alone..Tiger is concerned about kids getting a decent education not about the social issues in this crazy world..so i dissagree with Brown about that..Tiger has done so much for the under privileged kids.plus Tiger doesnt need to blow his own horn the way Jim Brown does..Jim needs to shut his mouth about the Great Tiger and mind his own business..I guess he still needs to be in the limelight from time to time.

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