Brown regrets seeing red

Cleveland Browns lineman Orlando Brown has given new meaning to the heavily industrialised Ohio city's unwanted nickname 'Mistake By The Lake' - and he is likely to pay a heavy price this week after an altercation with an official.

Cleveland Browns lineman Orlando Brown has given new meaning to the heavily industrialised Ohio city's unwanted nickname 'Mistake By The Lake' - and he is likely to pay a heavy price this week after an altercation with an official.

The NFL will discuss his amazing behaviour in the second quarter of Cleveland's home clash with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

Official Jeff Triplette accidentally threw a weighted flag to signal a penalty and it hit Brown in the eye.

When 6ft 7in, 22st Brown fell to the ground, his team-mates helped him off the field for medical attention.

But Brown lost his temper and raced 25 yards back on to the field before putting both hands on Triplette, shoving him to the ground and towering menacingly over the shaken official.

Brown was restrained by team-mates, ushered off the field and ejected from the game.

"I just thought he was courageously going back out on the field to go into the huddle," Brown's boss Chris Palmer said.

"I think everybody's embarrassed about the situation. I think Jeff is embarrassed because he threw the flag (and hit Brown)...I'm embarrassed. Hopefully, Zeus (Brown) is embarrassed."

"I have been officiating for almost 30 years and have never had anything like that happen," Triplette said.

"I threw my marker, and unfortunately as my marker was going he turned. He turns and the flag goes between the facemask and the helmet opening, and apparently does hit him in the eye."

"There is no question that we agree with the officials' response in ejecting Orlando Brown," said Brown's supremo Carmen Policy in a club statement. "It is unfortunate that he was injured by the official's flag, perhaps even seriously.

"We will be discussing the responsibilities of the club and ramifications of the incident with league officials, and will comment further once those discussions are conducted."

Brown, who signed a six-year £16.5million contract with the club earlier this year, faces a heavy fine and possible suspension.

"He's a guy that's very emotional, very physical," Palmer said of Brown. "Another man hurt him and he wanted to retaliate. That doesn't make it right."

"Certainly there was every effort to apologise (to Brown) because it was totally unintentional and inadvertent," Triplette said. "I have been in officiating almost 30 years and never had anything like that happen."

Brown's team-mate, defensive end Derrick Alexander, has defended his colleague saying off the pitch he is a different person.

"When we play football, we're supposed to be psycho," said Alexander.

"It's a violent game. We're supposed to be wild, crazy, out of control, trying to do whatever our job is out on the field. When he's outside of those lines, he is not that (kind of) person."

The minimum fine for physical contact with an official is £6.2million.

Oakland lineman Steve Wisniewski was fined £12.5million for charging and making contact with an official three years ago. Others have been suspended for one game.