Jim Brown's 1964 NFL championship ring is being auctioned online, but the Pro Football Hall of Famer says the ring was stolen from him more than 40 years ago.
Brown's ring is up for bidding on Lelands.com until July 25. As of Monday, the highest bid was for $33,275.
A quote on the Lelands website says: "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."
"That's a lie," Brown told cleveland.com. "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."
A phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment from Lelands was not immediately returned.
In 1964, Brown rushed for 1,446 yards as the Cleveland Browns beat the Baltimore Colts 27-0 for the title -- the last for any major Cleveland sports franchise.
Considered by many the greatest player in NFL history, Brown now works as a Browns special adviser. He says the ring was stolen in the late 1960s, and he'd like it back.
"I'd really appreciate that," Brown told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "That would be very cool."
UPDATE:Josh Evans, chairman of Lelands.com, told the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Tuesday that the sale of Brown's ring is legitimate. Evans said his company legally obtained the ring in 1998 from a Brown family member.
"We never sell anything that has been stolen or not authenticated," Evans said. "It's unfortunate that (Brown) has gone in this direction, but it came from a family member who turned around and sold it."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
