Brown spoke exclusively with Lions TV as part of a special six-part documentary titled “Browny –The People’s Champion”, and told of how he was unsure whether he would continue on for a 15th AFL season.
The uncertainty came after the former Lions skipper tore his plantar fascia – the connective tissue that runs along the arch of the foot – early in the team’s win over St Kilda late in the 2013 season.
“Initially when I came off the ground, I thought I might have played my last game of AFL footy,” Brown told Lions TV.
“In that initial 2-3 weeks at home, I spent hardly any time at the footy club. There was a lot of think time as the boys were in the middle of their season and I didn’t want to get in their way.
“My wife went to Hong Kong for a week, and my mother-in-law was looking after the kids, so there was a lot of time in isolation, that’s for sure. A lot of things go through your head.
“My knee had been crook, and I hadn’t kicked on my right foot in the back end of the 2013 season – the only time I’d kick on my right leg was during games.
“You start to lose the enjoyment of football when you can’t even kick the ball at training for the best part of 3-4 months.
“As it was, Vossy got the flick so I had to wait around for a new coach and see if the new regime wanted me to play.
“I still had the fire in the belly and that’s a hard thing to walk away from. When you’ve got that fire in the belly, you’ve got to try and satisfy that urge.
“I was open to the Club. I said ‘look, just be up front with me and tell me. My feelings won’t be hurt if you want me to retire. I’m not going to be one of those disgruntled employees who comes out in the media and has a crack at the Club’.”
Stay tuned to Lions TV throughout the week to see the remaining episodes of “Browny – The People’s Champ”.
