This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Retired NFL offensive lineman Lomas Brown has admitted to intentionally missing a block so that quarterback Scott Mitchell would get injured, when the two were teammates with the Detroit Lions.
Brown, who now works for ESPN as an analyst, said he was frustrated with Mitchell's performance during a game in 1994, the former Utah star's first season with the Lions.
"We were playing Green Bay in Milwaukee," Brown said on one of his network's radio shows. "We were getting beat 24-3 at the time, and [Mitchell] just stunk up the place, throwing interceptions, just everything. I looked at Kevin Glover, our All-Pro center, and I said, 'Glove, that is it.' I said, 'I'm getting him out of the game.' "
Mitchell was hit and injured on the play. He missed the rest of the 1994 season.
In his response in USA Today Sports, Mitchell said he was "floored" by the admission.
"I had Lomas in my home," he said. "I fed him dinner. I gave him and other offensive linemen gifts. I'm dumbfounded that he would do such a thing. I mean, people get hurt playing this game. People have died playing football, and for him to allow someone to take a shot at a teammate, that's crazy."