We recently reported on UCLA basketball players Cody Riley, LiAngelo Ball and Jalen Hill, who were arrested in China for shoplifting at a Louis Vuitton store, and were later released with the help of President Trump.

It turns out that there is another American athlete currently locked up in China. According to Yahoo! Sports, former Ball State linebacker Wendell Brown was arrested in Chongqing, China for allegedly hitting a man during a party dispute back in September 2016.

Brown moved to China in 2015 to play football, and began coaching in the American Football League of China after sustaining a career-ending injury. Brown also taught English to adults, and even owned a successful cross training business, Brown Elite Fitness.

Photo: Wendell Brown's Family

The 6-foot, 225-pound African-American man definitely stood out in the country, and was something of local celebrity. Beloved by his students, Brown also was invited to speak at the U.S. Embassy about football and his experiences in China.

While at a bar for a birthday party for one of his friends, Brown was accused of assaulting one of the establishment's patrons, who claimed Brown hit him over the head with a bottle. Brown, however, claims he did no such thing.

Brown's family hired a lawyer in China who told them that his release would cost 100,000 USD. To compare, the release of the UCLA trio cost $2,200.

The family created a GoFundMe account that has raised over $11K as of this article's publication. This, obviously, is not enough. The family also fears that even if they do raise the $100,000, it might still be enough; they believe that the high price of freedom could be part of an extortion scheme.

“So many sleepless nights,” said Brown's mother, Antoinette Brown. “It never makes sense. I stay up all night emailing people in China because their time is 12 hours ahead, so it’s daytime. You can never get an answer.”

Photo: Yahoo! Sports

The U.S. Consulate and Michigan’s two senators, Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, have taken up the cause to free the Detroit native, but they have little to no influence in China's unique criminal justice system.

“The main way we try [to help] is by talking with the Chinese authorities, and by making sure that they take Mr. Brown and any other arrested Americans’ case seriously,” Elliot Fertik of the U.S. Department of State told Michigan Radio. “We monitor cases involving American citizens who were arrested abroad to make sure that they receive fair treatment from the authorities as best we can.”

In July 2017, Brown had a trial. He was brought in from prison, and was surprised to find the courtroom packed with his Chinese friends and a number of his students. Many of them took the stand on his behalf, supporting his story, and noting that a man of his size would have seriously injured anyone he tried to fight.

And his defense team produced what it hoped would be an ace in the hole: surveillance footage from the evening in the bar, which clearly shows Brown did not hit the man who accused him of assault with a bottle, his fist or anything else.

Despite all of this evidence, Brown was sent back to jail to await a verdict. Should he be declared guilty, he could spend three to 10 years in jail.

He has already been behind bars for 14 months. However, he is trying to stay strong mentally and physically, and is doing his best to stay positive.

“God will assure that the truth will come out,” Brown wrote in a letter to his mother.

Now, following the news of the three UCLA players being released not long after their arrest despite their admissions that they committed the crime they were accused of, Brown's family is wondering whether the same courtesy would be extended to their son, who they believe is actually innocent.

They believe that the difference is that Brown is on his own. He does not have a wealthy school behind him, and unlike Ball, does not have rich and well-connected relatives.

“Their daddy, what’s his name, LaVar Ball?” Brown's stepfather, Travon King said of Ball's father, a basketball entrepreneur. “Their daddy said, ‘It ain’t no big thing,’ and I thought, ‘He knows they’re going to get out.’ ”

King isn't so sure about his own son, who he feels has worked hard, done all the right things, has supported his family and who did nothing wrong.

“They basically got a saint locked up over there,” said King. “There isn’t any other way to look at it.”

Jalen Hill

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