The Gist

Gridiron Man

Jim Brown was nearly impossible to tackle on the football field. And in public life, he still is.

Former pro football player Jim Brown pays a visit to Trump Tower on Dec. 13, 2016, in New York City.

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

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On The Gist, “Brett” has got to be the lamest name among Supreme Court justices (or nominees).

“If Jim Brown’s the past, Michael Bennett’s the future.” So says sports writer Dave Zirin, who recently published both a biography of Brown and co-authored Bennett’s memoir. Why the contrast between these two football players? Michael Bennett is a deliberate progressive, while Jim Brown’s work to save young men from gang life is marred by a history of domestic abuse. Zirin’s books are Jim Brown: Last Man Standing and Things That Make White People Uncomfortable.

In the Spiel, Rep. Jim Jordan picked the wrong hill to die on.

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