Jim Brown files lawsuit over 1964 championship ring

Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown has filed a lawsuit against a memorabilia dealer over the sale of his 1964 championship ring. The lawsuit, which was filed

Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown has filed a lawsuit against a memorabilia dealer over the sale of his 1964 championship ring.

The lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court againstLelands Collectibles Inc. and Lelands.com​, seeks to prevent the ring from being sold in an online auction ending Friday as well as damages over comments that Joshua Evans, the founder of Lelands, made about Brown.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the ring had been bid up to $58,948. 

Brown claims that the ring was stolen from him more than 40 years ago and is being auctioned online without his consent.

A passage in the description of the ring on Lelands.com reads:

“The ring was obtained directly from a Brown immediate family member and sold by Lelands.com in 1998. During that original auction preview, Jim Brown himself inspected the ring and acknowledged its authenticity.”

Brown spoke with Cleveland.com about the ring in early July. “I never spoke to anyone from there about the authenticity of the ring and I never would have given that ring to a family member," he said.

Brown rushed for 12,312 yards and 106 touchdowns and made the Pro Bowl in all nine seasons of his career. 

- Chris Johnson