He spent three years in a Chinese prison for a crime he did not commit. Now Detroiter Wendell Brown is free and back home with his family and friends.
Through the efforts of family, friends and diplomats, Brown returned to America last night, landing in Los Angeles first. When he landed at Detroit Metro Airport, he was greeted by dozens of family members and friends, wearing T-shirts and holding signs that read “Welcome Home Wendell,” including his mother Antoinette Brown, who fought tirelessly for her son’s freedom.
Brown, 32, was coaching football over in China with the Chongqing Dockers and was enjoying a night out with some friends September 24, 2016, when, according to witnesses, he was provoked by a group of locals who were upset that Brown would not party with them. One of the men reportedly escalated the incident by throwing a glass bottle at Brown, who retaliated out of self-defense. The local police were contacted following the altercation, to which Brown was the only one arrested. The man demanded more than $100,000 in compensation for damages to his eye or else he would pursue the case in court. Brown had been in jail ever since. There is a 99.9 percent conviction rate in China and Brown’s trial was in July of 2017, but it had taken a year for the verdict to be announced.
In June 2018, having already served two years in prison, Brown was sentenced to four years in prison, but was given credit for time he has already served.
Brown played his high school football at Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, where he was an all-state player at linebacker in 2004. He went on to play at Ball State, where he received bachelor’s degree. Brown played semi-pro and professional football all over the world and was dedicated to teaching the game he loved, not only overseas, but also at home, in little league, and at his former high school. He has an 11-year-old son.
