(Berea) - Browns DT Shaun Rogers has been fined one game check for violating the NFL Personal Conduct Policy relating to an incident earlier this year at Cleveland’s Hopkins International Airport. 

According to the Plain Dealer, that's about $400,000, or 1/17 of his $6.9 million base salary for 2010.

This means he will not be suspended.

On July 15, Rogers entered a diversion program instead of facing a felony charge that he tried to carry a gun through airport security in April.

Under the deal, the charge will be dismissed if Rogers completes the program, including volunteer service and 10 hours in a gun class.

Police said Rogers had the semiautomatic handgun in a carry-on bag at Cleveland’s Hopkins International Airport.



Attorney Pat D'Angelo says Rogers received no special treatment and has consistently given the same explanation _ that he had forgotten he had the weapon in the bag.

D'Angelo says the diversion program could last up to one year and could include helping out at a program aimed at reducing school truancy.

Rogers is currently appealing the decision.

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(Copyright 2010 Clear Channel, all rights reserved.) 

(Cleveland) --  The legendary Jim Brown will be absent when the Cleveland Browns unveil their "Ring of Honor" at Cleveland Browns Stadium on September 19.

Brown made his intentions known in a strongly-worded letter. In the message to Browns President Mike Holmgren, sent to the Browns and to The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Brown says he's not at all happy with the role with the team that Holmgren has offered him, one that Brown calls a “greeter, that of a mascot.”

In the letter, Brown told Holmgren, “I don't claim to be the best at anything, and I do not need validation from any man, so I will not participate in your Ring of Honor.”

It's not the first time Brown has left the team. At the height of his NFL career, Brown retired before the 1966 season to pursue a career in Hollywood.

Before Holmgren was hired by the Browns, Jim Brown acted as a team advisor who reported directly to owner Randy Lerner.

Last week, Holmgren acknowledged the importance of honoring the Browns' storied tradition.

Last Thursday, Holmgren said he talked with Jim Brown just two days prior and called it a good conversation. At that point, Holmgren thought the former running back would attend. In an interview that day with The Score 1260 in Syracuse, Brown was non-committal, but did say he does not want to cause trouble for the team.

On Tuesday afternoon, Browns WR/KR Josh Cribbs declined to comment on the Jim Brown controversy. Cribbs did say he's focusing on Thursday's final pre-season game and that's what Jim Brown would want them to do.

The unedited letter, as sent to The Plain Dealer, reads as follows:

Mike,

I would hope that you would take the time to read my agreement with the Clevelend Browns. I had no contract, but I was asked to write a job description so that my duties would be clear.

That job description included two things that I think are important. As Executive Advisor to the owner, my job was to use my intelligence, and my logic to advise Mr. Lerner. The second most important thing to me was a clause in that agreement that stated that I answered to noone except Randy Lerner. These two thing were highly important to me because I truly believed, with my educational background, having been a Cleveland Brown for 9 yrs, and having a pretty good knowledge of football, that I could contibute in a valuable way to the organization.

When you called me for a meeting in your office, there was no conversation about that agreement, no conversation about my duties, no conversation about what I felt, no conversation about my relationship with the players, no conversation about my relationship with the coaches, no conversation about my relationship with the head coach, and no conversation about my community work. Ultimately there was no conversation about anything that I felt was related to my job.

Your ultimatum to me was that you would offer me the opportunity of being that of the greeter, that of a mascot, that of a person that would represent special events by his physical presence, and for those things, I would receive a salary of $100,000. All of those things that you offered me would be controlled by you.

After that 10 minute meeting, I went to my office with a feeling that I was just fired by the Cleveland Browns, because in my mind, there would be no way on this earth that you would expect me to go against everything that I’ve ever stood for in my whole life.

Not wanting to get into a public debate, I left my office and went home. I never spoke to the media, or any of my friends at the Browns, because I truly didn’t know what to say to them. I thought that was the reponsibility of the Browns. I wrote you and Randy a note, and said I did not accept that proposed position, but if I could do anything meaningful for the organization, I would consider it. I took that position, because of my respect for the Lerner family, and everyone that I had worked with in the Cleveland Browns organization.

I was able to study your press conference and found your statements to be consistent in the way that you value me, and I observed the comments of the key players that sat by your side, and here was the impression I got: Your most powerful statemnt about me was that, and I must laugh, one monkey don’t stop the show. The two players that were with you, one of them made the statement that he was overwhelmed to be honored, and the other started talking about a subject that was highly important, and that was the pension plan, and the improvement that he would hope would happen, but stated that he was there to discuss the Ring of Honor.

I was happy to hear Joe DeLamielleure bring up the pension plan, because right now Mike, I am working with everything I have in my power to be an advocate for a better pension plan and health care services for all the retired players. If you, in your position of tremendous power with the Cleveland Browns, would become an advocate of those two goals, you and I could walk side by side.

But in my conclusion, I’ve never danced in the end zone, I always gave the ball to the referee, so you should know I don’t dance. Also Mike, I don’t hang out on the Westside of town. I’m an Eastside guy. I play my golf at Highland Golf Course. I don’t go to the Hall of Fame ceremonies, except on occasions, like when Gene Hickerson was inducted, and I felt very proud to be with Bobby Mitchell and Leroy Kelly in showing our respect for his great contribution, and for helping us become great players. I don’t have any trophies in my home on display. I don’t claim to be the best at anything, and I emphatically do not need validation from any man, so I will not participate in your Ring of Honor.

Mike, there’s only one thing that I control in life, and that’s being a man. So let me end with a little humor, because as you say, one monkey don’t stop the show, and as I say “Willie Lynch missed a few of us”, and there will be no Buck Dancing.

From #32
Monique Brown

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(Copyright 2010 Clear Channel, all rights reserved.) 

JIM BROWN’S LETTER TO MIKE HOLMGREN
(Editor's note: This is the entire unedited letter, as it was received by the Browns and The Plain Dealer)

Mike,
I would hope that you would take the time to read my agreement with the Clevelend Browns. I had no contract, but I was asked to write a job description so that my duties would be clear.

That job description included two things that I think are important. As Executive Advisor to the owner, my job was to use my intelligence, and my logic to advise Mr. Lerner. The second most important thing to me was a clause in that agreement that stated that I answered to noone except Randy Lerner. These two thing were highly important to me because I truly believed, with my educational background, having been a Cleveland Brown for 9 yrs, and having a pretty good knowledge of football, that I could contibute in a valuable way to the organization.

When you called me for a meeting in your office, there was no conversation about that agreement, no conversation about my duties, no conversation about what I felt, no conversation about my relationship with the players, no conversation about my relationship with the coaches, no conversation about my relationship with the head coach, and no conversation about my community work. Ultimately there was no conversation about anything that I felt was related to my job.

Your ultimatum to me was that you would offer me the opportunity of being that of the greeter, that of a mascot, that of a person that would represent special events by his physical presence, and for those things, I would receive a salary of $100,000. All of those things that you offered me would be controlled by you.

After that 10 minute meeting, I went to my office with a feeling that I was just fired by the Cleveland Browns, because in my mind, there would be no way on this earth that you would expect me to go against everything that I’ve ever stood for in my whole life.

Not wanting to get into a public debate, I left my office and went home. I never spoke to the media, or any of my friends at the Browns, because I truly didn’t know what to say to them. I thought that was the reponsibility of the Browns. I wrote you and Randy a note, and said I did not accept that proposed position, but if I could do anything meaningful for the organization, I would consider it. I took that position, because of my respect for the Lerner family, and everyone that I had worked with in the Cleveland Browns organization.

I was able to study your press conference and found your statements to be consistent in the way that you value me, and I observed the comments of the key players that sat by your side, and here was the impression I got: Your most powerful statemnt about me was that, and I must laugh, one monkey don’t stop the show. The two players that were with you, one of them made the statement that he was overwhelmed to be honored, and the other started talking about a subject that was highly important, and that was the pension plan, and the improvement that he would hope would happen, but stated that he was there to discuss the Ring of Honor.

I was happy to hear Joe DeLamielleure bring up the pension plan, because right now Mike, I am working with everything I have in my power to be an advocate for a better pension plan and health care services for all the retired players. If you, in your position of tremendous power with the Cleveland Browns, would become an advocate of those two goals, you and I could walk side by side.

But in my conclusion, I’ve never danced in the end zone, I always gave the ball to the referee, so you should know I don’t dance. Also Mike, I don’t hang out on the Westside of town. I’m an Eastside guy. I play my golf at Highland Golf Course. I don’t go to the Hall of Fame ceremonies, except on occasions, like when Gene Hickerson was inducted, and I felt very proud to be with Bobby Mitchell and Leroy Kelly in showing our respect for his great contribution, and for helping us become great players. I don’t have any trophies in my home on display. I don’t claim to be the best at anything, and I emphatically do not need validation from any man, so I will not participate in your Ring of Honor.

Mike, there’s only one thing that I control in life, and that’s being a man. So let me end with a little humor, because as you say, one monkey don’t stop the show, and as I say “Willie Lynch missed a few of us”, and there will be no Buck Dancing.

From #32
Monique Brown