I saw him play, he was a fullback. The comparison to Jim Brown is not unfounded, they both punished defenders. Read his complete bio, he was drafted out of high school. Then had to play in the CFL. He also lead a civil rights protest against having AFL Allstar game in New Orleans.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Lynch was involved in a hit and run, possession of illegal fire arms and also would bring his own alcohol into bars, which is stealing.