who got hit in the eye with a flag
Orlando Brown (American football) Brown was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the "reactivated" Cleveland Browns before the 1999 season. During a December 19, 1999 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Brown was accidentally hit in the right eye by a penalty flag weighted with ball bearings thrown by referee Jeff Triplette.[2] Triplette immediately apologized to Brown. Brown left the game temporarily, then returned to the field only to shove Triplette, knocking him to the ground. Brown was ejected from the game and had to be escorted off the field by his teammates. Brown was subsequently suspended by the NFL, but the suspension was lifted when the severity of his injury became apparent. Brown would miss three seasons due to temporary blindness. Brown was one of only two players to have played for the original Cleveland Browns and the Browns after the team was revived in 1999, as most of the Browns roster was moved to Baltimore. The other player is Antonio Langham.