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Baltimore Ravens rookie offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. honors his father by wearing a bandana under his helmet during practices and games. Brown, who was selected in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma, said he wears that bandana as a daily reminder of his father. Orlando Brown Sr. died at the age of 40 of diabetic ketoacidosis on Sept. 23, 2011.
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"My biggest wish right now is I wish he could see it," the 6-foot-8, 340-pound Brown said, via ESPN.com. "At the end of the day, that's my motivation for getting to this point and continuing to make sure I carry on his legacy."
Orlando Brown Sr., who was nicknamed "Zeus," started 119 games for the Cleveland Browns and Ravens in an NFL career that stretched from 1993-2005.
"He always told me and preached that, 'You play offensive line; you have to have your own swag. You have to make yourself noticeable, because nobody notices offensive linemen,'" the 22-year-old Brown said. "So it was just something [that] I adapted, and from there, it just holds a lot of value."
The younger Brown was a three-year starter with the Sooners and was a unanimous first-team All-America selection. The Ravens declined to pick up the option on 2017 starter Austin Howard, leaving Brown to battle the 6-foot-5, 317-pound James Hurst for the nod in 2018.
Howard, who is listed at 6-foot-7 and 330 pounds, joined the Indianapolis Colts this offseason after spending time with the Oakland Raiders, New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles prior to his one year with the Ravens.
