NFL great Jim Brown, known for his activism, says he would never kneel for anthem

There’s a famous photo of Jim Brown sitting with Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Muhammad Ali at a news conference in 1967.

Those four titans and other prominent black athletes were at a meeting, remembered as the “Cleveland Summit,” which held multiple purposes. One was to support Ali as he refused to serve in the Vietnam War. Brown, who organized the meeting, wanted to found the Black Economic Union, which would support economic development and other programs in the black community. Brown has plenty of labels attached to his legacy — some are not flattering — one of the most prominent has been “political activist.” He was one of the first athletes to speak out about politics and race.

That’s why it was surprising when Brown spoke out against current NFL players kneeling during the national anthem to bring attention to social issues such as racial inequality.

Jim Brown: ‘I’ll never kneel’

Brown, known as one of the most prominent activist/athletes of his era (and probably all eras), said he would never kneel for the national anthem, according to Tom Withers of the Associated Press.

“I’ll never kneel and I will always respect the flag,” Brown told Withers before the HBO premiere of “Hard Knocks” that features the Browns.

Brown, who is 82, said he supported the players’ rights to kneel. But he didn’t agree with what they’re doing.

“Well, if you take the bottom line, what are we talking about? We’re talking about freedom to express one’s self, and if you don’t break any rules then you have that particular right,” Brown told the Associated Press.