My $17 million Browns contract reset market but I was released after outrageous praise of Baltimore relocation
Andre Rison was one of the most dominant wide receivers in the 1990s.
He had it all, until he didn’t.
Rison was a four-time All-Pro WR and four-time Pro Bowler with the Atlanta Falcons from 1990-1994, before cashing in during the 1995 offseason with the Cleveland Browns.
The dynamic wide receiver signed a five-year, $17 million contract with the Northeast Ohio franchise that was the most lucrative deal ever for a wide receiver at the time.
Unfortunately for Rison and Cleveland, the partnership was underwhelming and ended in a toxic thud.
He only lasted one year in Cleveland, totaling 47 receptions for 701 yards and three touchdowns. Those were all career lows for Rison, but it’s what he did off the field that made him despised by the Browns fanbase.
When it was announced that the franchise would be relocating to Baltimore, the faithful Cleveland fans began to lash out, not only due to the move, but also due to Rison’s poor performance, which he said he had received death threats for.
After a home loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 12 of the 1995 season, Rison crashed out to reporters.
“We didn’t make the f***** move,” Rison said.
“So, for all the booers, f*** you too. I’ll be glad when we get to Baltimore, if that’s the case. We don’t have any home-field advantage.
“I’ve never been booed at home. Baltimore’s our home. Baltimore, here we come.”
Rison never played in Baltimore, as he was subsequently released after one year with the Browns, before they made the official move, to make room for the new franchise’s first round draft picks, Ray Lewis and Jonathan Ogden.
Rison would go on to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars before being released midseason.
That ended up being the best thing to ever happen to Rison, as the Packers then claimed him off of waivers, where he would help Brett Favre and the Green Bay franchise win Super Bowl XXXI over the New England Patriots, even catching the game’s opening touchdown.
He would go on to play four more seasons in the NFL, three with the Kansas City Chiefs and one with the Oakland Raiders, before a short comeback in the Canadian Football League with the Toronto Argonauts in 2004, helping them win the Grey Cup.
As memorable as Rison’s career was on the field, having built a very quiet Hall of Fame case, his life off the field was just as chaotic.
There was a high profile, and tempestuous relationship with US superstar Lisa Lopes of the group TLC.
He filed for bankruptcy in 2007 after reportedly blowing his fortune on cars, nights out, and jewelry.
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“Some guys had a gambling problem,” Rison said in the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary ‘Broke’. “Well, I had a spending problem.
“We were making it snow. You start throwing $100 bills instead of fives. So you’ve got a competition going on now [between teammates].
“I’d be lying on the bed knocked out [after getting back from the club] with $10,000 lying on the floor. I’ve got another $5,000 in my pocket. You might find another $7,500 in the pocket in my coat.”
It was a former life that Rison has now proudly left in the past.
The 58-year-old Flint, Michigan native was named head coach of University Liggett School in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, in June 2024.
He wrote about his experiences in Wide Open and produced a movie of the same name.
His life is now busy with school drop off and pick up for his four daughters, and passing down his football knowledge to his young players.
“I’m living an even better life off the field than when I played,” Rison told The Athletic.
But make no mistake, the man once nicknamed Bad Moon Rison has no regrets.
“I’d always prefer the way it went. And I damn sure wouldn’t change anything about where I’m at right now.”
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