Browns’ Fujita hasn’t lost fight amid scandal

“A lot of things are personal matters and I’m just going to leave it at that,” Fujita said. “Sean Pamphilon is a very good filmmaker who absolutely wants to affect positive change when it comes to health and safety in this game and I absolutely respect that.”

Fujita acknowledged the past few months have taken a toll on him. However, he has no immediate plans to retire.

He said a recent trip to New York with Gleason allowed him to re-evaluate his situation and regain any lost perspective. They attended a United Nations summit to promote new technologies for ALS patients when they met a young man who in two years raised $75 million to bring clean water to Africa.

“Things like that gives you a sense of perspective, and as much as I’m worried about (my) reputation and all that kind of stuff, you’ve got to have some kind of perspective with this whole thing,” he said. “I’m going to keep doing good things in the community and I’m going to keep playing my best for the team and I’m going to focus on getting better every single day.”

Browns coach Pat Shurmur said Fujita has remained focused throughout his ordeal and doesn’t believe the scandal will sidetrack him.

“He is about his business and I don’t see that being a distraction,” Shurmur said. “He’s an outstanding player in this league and he is dealing with what he is dealing with. It’s a league issue and we support, of course, the league and what it does, and when Scott’s back he will play.”

Browns kicker Phil Dawson offered an even stronger endorsement of Fujita. After playing with him for two seasons, Dawson, who has been with the club since 1999, believes in Fujita’s honesty and integrity.

“There’s not many teammates I’ve had through the years that I hold in higher regard than Scott Fujita,” Dawson said. “I haven’t been here, so I haven’t had the luxury to be able to hang out and talk to him about everything. But he has my full support and I hope this mess gets over soon.

“He deserves that and we definitely want him out here with us.”

Fujita is looking forward to the day when the scandal which has enveloped him is finally over. But until the muddled matter is resolved, he’ll continue to fight for his name and for the rights of the players he represents.

His passion hasn’t diminished.

“There’s a lot that I’ve seen on this journey,” he said. “There’s a lot I’ve been involved in, a lot of conversations and negotiations, and I have a friend now who’s faced with what many people would call a terminal diagnosis. I have a lot of friends who I’ve lost this year. There are a lot of challenges, a lot of conflicts with that. But I still love the game, I still love my teammates, I love playing on Sundays, and that’s what keeps me coming back.”

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