NEW YORK (AP) - A new consumer product line headed by NFL legend
Jim Brown and featuring "Thug Chips" has left a bad taste in the
mouth of at least one politician.
City Councilman Leroy Comrie claimed on Friday that the
manufacturer's name, OG Nation, stands for "original gangster."
He accused the Arizona-based company of exploiting urban youth by
glorifying violence.
"They're trying to mainstream the gangster lifestyle and the
criminal lifestyle," Comrie said.
The company's Web Site lists Brown as president while promoting
products like "King Pin" lager beer and "Party Dogg" mixed
drinks. It says a "Thug Chips" snack line of potato chips,
pretzels, pork rinds and dips is being developed.
The site hypes the OG Nation beer by saying, "Lagers have been
around for over 2,000 years, dating back to the days of the
original gangster Egyptians."
Comrie urged Brown and another backer, former New York Knick
Larry Johnson, "to consider changing the names of this brand line
to something that is more reflective of the positive attitudes of
our community."
The councilman added: "Do Jim Brown and Larry Johnson really
need to sell pork rinds and malt liquor to our young people?"
A spokesman for OG Nation had no immediate comment.
In an audio interview posted on the company Web Site, Brown said
he hoped the venture would redefine the corporate culture.
"It's a business first, but on the other hand it deals with
inclusion and diversity," the Hall of Fame tailback said.
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On the Net:
OG Nation: www.ognation.com
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
