avery brundage suspended him. jesse owens: my suspension, i really couldn't say.ything about it at all. i haven't had any official word from it. i've been on the boat for four days, and i... i really don't know what it's all about. narrator: suspension from the aau barred owens from competing in any sanctioned sporting events in the u.s. the impact of the ban would play out later; for now, jesse owens was a hero. (marching band playing, crowd chattering) stokes: when he came back from berlin, i was 11 years old, but i remember waiting excitedly to see this parade that was going to be in the black community. and of course you... you felt like, "jesse owens just waved to me!" (laughs) (crowd cheering) ♪ ♪ walters: he comes back to the united states thinking that everything's going to be good for him. he's going to be rich and he's going to be up there with all those movie stars he so loves and respects and wants to be part of. and the truth, of course, is very, very different. narrator: owens had always hoped that success on the track would translate to respect off