Who is Sergio Brown? Brown, born in May of ’88 in Maywood Illinois, was a standout athlete from a young age. He played football and was a track & field star. Brown attended the University of Notre Dame where he played special teams during his first two seasons, eventually becoming a starter in 2008 as he entered his junior year. He went undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft, but he signed with the New England Patriots in late April of 2010. He spent the first six weeks on the practice squad, but he eventually[ND1] [ND2] made the 53-man roster at the end of October. The following season, Brown was the starting safety for the Patriots. During the 2012 off-season, the Patriots released Brown during final cuts, but shortly thereafter he signed with the Indianapolis Colts. Brown played for the Colts until March, 2015 when he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. A year later, Brown was released by the Jaguars, and the Atlanta Falcons picked him up 4 months later, only to waive him soon afterwards[ND3] . Brown was then signed by the Buffalo Bills, for whom he played until he retired in 2017. [1] Sergio retired after seven years in the NFL, at the age of 29, to pursue an opportunity at Google. [2]
Fast forward seven years, Brown was arrested in Southern California as he tried to re-enter the United States near San Diego. His arrest comes a short three weeks after his mother was found dead in Illinois. According to records, Brown was booked into a San Diego jail on Tuesday, October 10, without bail. [3] His arrest stems from an Illinois warrant for first-degree murder related to the September death of his mother, Myrtle. Brown had unexpectedly gone missing last month when the body of his 73-year-old mother was found near a creek close to her suburban Chicago home. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Officer determined she died from injuries related to an assault, ruling her death a homicide. [4] Brown was found in Mexico by Mexican authorities who closely tracked Brown until a warrant was obtained for his arrest. Thereafter, he was deported once said authorities were made aware of the warrant. He is currently awaiting extradition to Maywood, Illinois to face the murder charge.
According to Brown’s brother, Nick Brown, he has had no contact with him. A day after their mother was found dead, Nick took to social media seeking help in finding him. He wrote: “My brother Sergio is still missing. If anyone knows where he is I want him to know that I love you and please come home.” [Id.] Last week, the Brown family issued a statement via their attorney, Christian Conway, calling on authorities to advance the investigation into Myrtle’s death. The family believes there is sufficient evidence for an arrest. The family continued to say:
“We implore law enforcement agencies, particularly the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, to work diligently and thoroughly in pursuit of truth and accountability for Myrtle Jean Simmons-Brown. No family should bear the weight of uncertainty regarding the circumstances of their loved one’s passing.”
Prior to Myrtle Brown’s death, there had been concerns regarding her son’s mental health. One of Brown’s neighbors told CBS News Chicago that family members had mentioned his recent erratic behavior. To make sense of this, we can reference the video that Brown posted to his social media page where he can be heard spewing random information regarding the FBI and his mother’s whereabouts. According to Carlos Cortez, his family said “He wasn’t himself the last few months. He was out of his mind.” Additionally, Cortez said he witnessed some strange behavior, and he turned that video surveillance footage over to investigators. Cortez continued, stating that he was still shocked to hear of Myrtle’s passing, regardless of how strange Brown had been acting leading up to the death.
There is sure to be more to come as this story continues to develop and Sergio Brown is brought back to Maywood, Illinois.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_Brown
[3] https://www.tmz.com/2023/10/11/ex-nfler-sergio-brown-arrested-weeks-after-mothers-death/
[4] https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/11/us/sergio-brown-nfl-mother-death/index.html
[5] https://www.thedailybeast.com/former-nfl-star-sergio-brown-in-custody-weeks-after-moms-murder
Photo Credit: Ben Margot/Associated Press
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