John Brown does not want you to call him John Brown.
Just call me smokey
— Smokey Brown (@Jwalk_back12) March 16, 2018
The natural assumption is he’s called Smoke because he’s fast. Right?! After all, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds at the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine.
Nope. That’s not it.
“My grandma’s boyfriend when I was first born, that’s how I got the nickname, because of my skin color,” Brown said with a chuckle.
The nickname has stuck ever since. Just check out the reaction from Ravens safety Tony Jefferson when the Ravens agreed to a deal with Brown.