CLEVELAND (AP) -- Citing fatigue from travel, Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown cancelled a speaking engagement with some of the NFL's rookies.
Brown had been scheduled to conduct a history lesson for AFC rookies on Wednesday at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. However, the 77-year-old former Cleveland Browns star issued a statement saying he is extremely tired and needs rest.
"I am very sorry that I am unable to attend tomorrow's Hall of Fame session with the rookie class," Brown said Tuesday in a statement released through the league. "Our young NFL players are very dear to me, but due to my extensive travels of late, I am extremely tired and need to rest. I look forward to returning to Ohio this summer for all of the festivities as we celebrate 50 years of the Pro Football Hall of Fame."
Fellow Hall of Famer Mike Haynes will replace Brown, who lives in Los Angeles.
The drafted NFC first-year players will visit the hall on Saturday as part of the four-day Rookie Symposium and will take part in a session on league history with Chicago Bears great Richard Dent.
Brown was recently hired as a special adviser by the Browns, reconnecting with the team after several years. He was in Cleveland in May for a news conference with team owner Jimmy Haslam and said he was excited about the chance to help mentor some of the Browns' younger players.
Brown is regarded as one of the best players in NFL history. He rushed for 12,312 yards and scored 106 touchdowns in nine seasons before retiring at the peak of his career -- and after being named league MVP in 1965 -- to pursue acting.
Brown still holds many of Cleveland's team records. His No. 32 is retired. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971.
