Five former Rams players also jumped to the Browns in 1946: center Mike Scarry, tackle Chet Adams and backs Gaylon Smith, Tommy Colella and Don Greenwood. Their move gave rise to a legal battle with the Rams, who left Cleveland for Los Angeles shortly after winning the 1945 NFL championship rather than compete with the Browns. Reeves, the Rams' owner, filed an injunction against Adams in federal court after he signed with the Browns, claiming the tackle unlawfully broke his contract to play for the Rams. Adams argued he had no obligation under his contract to play for the Rams because the team had changed to the Los Angeles Rams following the move. At the end of August 1946, federal judge Emerich Freed denied the Rams' injunction, allowing Adams to play for the Browns. The judge rejected the Rams' contention that Adams had signed to play for Reeves, not a specific team. He ruled the Cleveland Rams had ceased to exist, and that Adams therefore was not bound to fulfill a contract with the Los Angeles Rams.