Just when you think there can’t be any more controversy or confusion surrounding former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown, he discovers a new will to be weird. Because of that, he was always known as a talented distraction as a player.
This time however, his eccentric behavior isn’t affecting a team that he’s a member of. Instead, one that he owns.
The Albany Empire, the arena football team in which Antonio Brown is a 95% investor, seems to be in a mutiny after players didn’t receive their pay last week. That had a domino effect on the franchise, a misdemeanor incident, the coach leaving, as well as a number of players reportedly departing, as well.
By the way? This is all coming in the midst of the team owner claiming publicly that he’s rejoining the NFL as part of the Baltimore Ravens. So to say there’s a LOT of confusion surrounding Antonio Brown, the Albany Empire, and their entire mess would be a massive understatement.
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According to the Albany Times-Union, players and coaches are supposed to be paid every Friday. The team did reive their salaries on April 21. However, they then played a game against the Carolina Cobras on Sunday, April 30, despite not getting paid two days prior to the game.
So, in essence, they played the Carolina game for free. But the problems didn’t end with just a pay correction and an apology. The issues in Albany have been mounting with Antonio Brown at the helm of the franchise, and this was finally the boiling point.
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Brown, 34, said he was retiring from the NFL after an acrimonious exit from Tampa Bay following the 2021 NFL season. Since then, he’s been dealing with multiple business and legal issues, including last week, when he answered charges of failed child support payments.
He’s also recently posted that he’s going to return to the NFL with the Baltimore, even going so far as to add an image of him wearing a Ravens uniform. According to the Ravens and the NFL, Antonio Brown has not been added to their roster, and reports suggest that there haven’t even been talks between the two sides.
So the Albany situation, which saw recent head coach Damon Ware walk out – shouldn’t be surprising. It’s just another example of Antonio Brown’s erratic behavior.
Last month, Brown took full ownership (95 percent) of the team, along with his father, Eddie Brown, who played several seasons in Arena League football and is typically considered the greatest player in that version of pro football. Since the Brown family took the reigns, however, they haven’t seen success in the ownership box like the father-son combo did on the field.
In fact, their presence was not wanted, or welcomed, according to Ware, who reportedly told TMZ that it was a “hostile takeover” when Brown purchased a minority share of the team, then bought off the remainder of ownership, piece by piece.
“It became all about him, not the football team,” Ware said. “We built a wonderful organization over three years — he came in and killed it.”
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