Here’s some news that will go over well with the “Seahawks are a bunch of stoned cheaters who commit pass interference on every play” crowd: Brandon Browner, the seemingly-forgotten fourth member of the original Legion of Boom, was suspended in November by the NFL for violating terms of the league’s substance abuse policy.
Some backstory: Browner was elevated to Stage 3 of the NFL’s substance abuse program after missing drug tests while he was playing in the CFL (because another employer is apparently allowed to drug test you while you work for somebody else — which seems like something that would definitely hold up in court), and after testing positive this fall for a banned substance, he received the dreaded “indefinite suspension” ban hammer. He lost an appeal — after the NFL offered him a reduced sentence — and can apply for reinstatement after one year.
In the meantime, the Seahawks won the Super Bowl, and the question on many peoples’ minds was “does Browner get a ring?” Sure, he sat out essentially the second half of the season, and the secondary didn’t miss a beat without him (and was arguably even better), but he was as integral to the Legion of Boom’s rise to success as anyone.
As we’ve come to find out, the Seahawks march to the beat of a different drum, and while Browner’s Seahawks career is probably over, he’s still going to receive a Super Bowl ring. Of course, the Seahawks can give a Super Bowl ring to whoever they want. They could even give me one if they felt like it (except they know I’d immediately hock it on e-Bay). But they clearly valued his contribution to the team over the last couple years, and have enough “eff the haters” attitude in them to give him some bling.
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