Reggie Brown (linebacker)

Reginald Dwayne Brown (born September 28, 1974) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted in the first round (17th overall) of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. He played college football at Texas A&M.
Brown suffered a spinal cord contusion in the final game of the 1997 season. The injury nearly left him paralyzed and ended his professional football career.

Brown played college football for Texas A&M.

Brown was selected 17th overall by the Detroit Lions in the 1996 NFL Draft. He had a short career, playing only 26 games. In his second season, he recorded 2.5 sacks to go along with two interceptions, both of which went for touchdown returns.

In his final game, Brown suffered a spinal cord contusion while assisting on a tackle of New York Jets halfback Adrian Murrell in the final game of the 1997 season, the same game that saw Barry Sanders cross the 2,000-yard mark for the season. He lay motionless for 17 minutes on the turf at the Pontiac Silverdome, briefly losing consciousness, with CPR saving his life. Emergency surgery saved him from using a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Brown is mobile and active. He is a manager for a motor vehicle dealership group in Austin, Texas, with his body feeling better than it has in years.