Former Browns RB Greg Pruitt Addresses Trent Richardson and Jim Brown’s Criticism:

By: Brett Crow

Appearing this past Saturday night on The Sports Fix, Greg Pruitt was asked how he felt about the criticism that Jim Brown gave about Trent Richardson. Jim Brown had called the former Alabama running back and new Cleveland Brown “ordinary.”

“Jim is a guy that you get maybe four different Jim Browns, depending on when you talk to him,” said Pruitt. “If you know him, sometimes you have to take that with a grain of salt.”

When asked of his own personal feelings of the third pick of this year’s NFL draft, Greg Pruitt offered high praise: “I think he’s a great player. He’s a hard worker. He’s one of those guys who finish at the end of the play and he can be a third down back, which is essential.”

Being a father of a three year old and also a five year old daughter, Trent is a leader off the field certainly, but Pruitt believes that will translate in the locker room: “He’s not only a great athlete and a great running back, he’s a great leader too.”

The former Browns running back also addressed the challenges of raising children and how that helped mold the kind of player that Trent Richardson is and will be: “I think he realizes how lucky and fortunate he is to have this opportunity...And despite the situations that he has, he is now in a position to do more. And it just helps him, because when you have challenges in your life and you overcome them, you realize how hard it can be. Hard work is no stranger to him.”

Trent Richardson went into the 2011 season as Alabama’s starting running back after having spent the previous two years behind Heisman trophy winner Mark Ingram. In 2011, Richardson accumulated 1,679 yards and 21 touchdowns, also managing an impressive 5.9 yard per rushing attempt average.

Greg Pruitt, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, was a running back in the NFL from 1973 to 1984, drafted by the Cleveland Browns and playing for them until the 1982 season when he joined the Oakland Raiders. Pruitt tallied up 5,496 rushing yards during his time with Cleveland, and also became a Pro Bowl player in four of his years in Cleveland.

To hear the audio interview between The Sports Fix, Johnny Knight, and Greg Pruitt, click the play button below: