Former NFL player and assistant coach Corwin Brown, who suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a police standoff in 2011, has sued the league over concussions sustained during his eight-year playing career, according to the complaint obtained by The Washington Times.
The 73-page lawsuit filed Monday in U.S District Court for the Southern District of Florida asserts that concussions left the 42-year-old Brown suffering from “headaches, anxiety, hears voices, severe depression and suicidal thoughts.”
After a standout playing career as a defensive back at the University of Michigan, Brown spent time with the New England Patriots, New York Jets and Detroit Lions before his career ended in 2000.
Brown transitioned to coaching, with stops at the University of Virginia and the Jets before becoming Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator from 2007 to 2009, then leaving to coach defensive backs with the Patriots in 2010.
All that crashed down on Aug. 12, 2011, when a police SWAT team surrounded Brown’s home in Granger, Ind., during a seven-hour standoff.
Brown eventually received a four-year suspended sentence and was placed on probation in August in connection for striking his wife, Melissa, and holding her hostage during the incident, according to the Associated Press. Brown’s wife wasn’t seriously injured.
Relatives believed brain injury during Brown’s college and NFL career contributed to the standoff, the Associated Press said, but Brown’s attorney said at the sentencing that shouldn’t be factored into what occurred.
Melissa Brown is listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, along with Langston Walker, who played tackle nine seasons for the Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills.
Brown and Walker increase the number of former players suing the NFL over concussions to 3,938, according to a count by The Times.
Like the 183 other lawsuits that are being consolidated in U.S. District Court in Pennsylvania, this suit accuses the NFL of concealing the long-term consequences of brain injuries. The NFL has consistently denied the claims and maintained player safety is a priority.
Brown’s attorney didn’t immediately return a request for comment Tuesday.
• Nathan Fenno can be reached at nfenno@washingtontimes.com.
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