Jim Brown, arguably the greatest Browns player of all time, does not plan to participate in the club's inaugural Ring of Honor ceremony at the home opener Sept. 19.
The Browns have been holding off an announcement of the creation of the Ring of Honor until the proposed inductees in the first class, or family members, confirmed their attendance. The first class will be made up of the Browns' 16 Pro Football Hall of Famers.
The Browns have not heard directly from Brown that he will not attend.
"He won't be able to make it," said Monique Brown, Jim's wife, speaking for him. "He tried to move a few things around [his schedule], but wasn't able to."
The profound snub speaks to the suddenly frosty relations between the franchise and its greatest player. Brown had been very visible since the franchise returned in 1999 and was named an executive adviser to owner Randy Lerner a few years ago with a six-figure salary.
Brown had the title removed by Mike Holmgren shortly after Holmgren joined the Browns as team president in January. Holmgren offered a reduced role for Brown, and a pay cut, but Brown declined.
At the time, Brown said he would make himself available to the Browns if he were called. He participated in the team's draft in New York -- at the request of the NFL -- and also answered a call from coach Eric Mangini to speak to the club's rookies.
Brown was informed of the club's intent to create a Ring of Honor several months ago. He was non-committal about attending. But two things have stung him, said a source close to him. The Browns curtailed their financial involvement in Brown's Amer-I-Can program, and Brown has not heard from Lerner since their parting.
"I'm afraid we've seen the last of Jim Brown around here," said the source.
The Browns are expected to formally unveil plans for their Ring of Honor this week. Their show will go on.
Browns Legends: The Browns Legends program is back after a one-year hiatus.
The streamlined program has two major changes. The number of inductees each year is reduced from four to two. Also, the inductees don't have to come from separate eras in the team's history.
A third change is that fans will not have the opportunity to cast votes on the Browns' team website. In the past, the fan vote counted a small percentage of the overall vote.
One who got away: Remember Don Carey, the Browns' sixth-round pick in 2009 who was waived/injured in training camp and claimed by Jacksonville? He has recovered from shoulder surgery and is competing for the Jaguars' nickelback slot.
The Jags' starting tandem of Rashean Mathis and Derek Cox are solid. If Carey progresses to the point of No. 3 cornerback, even No. 4, the Browns' release of Carey would represent a major error. Considering the Browns' questionable depth behind their top three corners, Carey would have been a viable candidate to push Brandon McDonald for the No. 4 job here. Camp fires: Here's a quarterback name to watch: Matt Flynn. The Packers really like the backup to Aaron Rodgers but probably will have to trade him rather than lose him in free agency. He's got two years left on his rookie contract and might be ready to start in 2012 when he can be a free agent. . . . The Packers were surprised by the Browns' blitzing in their preseason meeting last week. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel calculated the Browns blitzed (five or more pass rushers) on 11 of Rodgers' 13 dropbacks. "I don't think anybody's blitzed us this much in the five years that [coach] Mike [McCarthy] has been here," offensive coordinator Joe Philbin told the newspaper. "We were talking about it on the phones. Any game. None that I remember." . . . The Chiefs are excited about the potential of second-round pick Javier Arenas as a return specialist. In his first game, the Alabama cornerback had one kick return for 42 yards and another of 99 nullified by penalty. Clip and save: "I can promise you this, not that I have ever set out as a goal to play 20 years, [but] 20 years and I'm done. This is the last year of my contract." -- Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre, upon unretiring for the umpteenth time.