CANTON, Ohio — When the Cleveland Browns take the field for Hall of Fame Game against the New York Jets in Canton on Thursday, they'll do so honoring one of the greatest players in the sport's history.
As captured by 3News' Shawn Dunagan, the Browns will wear helmet decals paying tribute to running back Jim Brown, who passed away at the age of 87 this past May. It is unclear whether the team will continue to wear the decal, which features Brown's uniform No. 32, throughout the entirety of the 2023 season or just for Thursday night's exhibition against the Jets, which marks Cleveland's preseason kickoff.
Prior to kickoff on Thursday night, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Browns and the NFL hosted an invitation-only memorial service for Brown. Members of Cleveland's roster, including quarterback Deshaun Watson, attended the service, as did NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
The memorial service for Brown, who reportedly did not want a funeral, was planned by his wife, Monique.
"We wanted to do something right after Jim died and for a variety of reasons — schedules, everybody, Monique wasn't quite ready — it got put off," Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam said. "I can't really think of a better way to do it than do it in Canton.
"Jim Brown's definitely the greatest Brown of all time and arguably the greatest in the NFL. To do it in Canton, a lot of the gold jackets will be there. I think it's appropriate to honor his legacy. We're honored to be part of that."
In his nine seasons (1957-1965) in Cleveland, Brown rushed for 12,312 yards and 106 touchdowns. The Syracuse product was named a first-team All-Pro eight times, second-team All-Pro once and won three NFL MVP awards, in addition to leading the Browns to their most recent championship during the 1964 season.