Antonio Brown

Latest On Antonio Brown

January 24th, 2020 at 10:00am CST by Zachary Links

Antonio Brown has been granted bail by a Broward County judge following his arrest for burglary with battery. Brown’s bond was set at $100K for this particular charge and he also faced two other charges related to an incident at his residence earlier this week.

A moving truck driver accused Brown and trainer Glen Holt of striking him after they refused to pay for his services. Holt was also arrested on one count of burglary with battery. When police arrived at his home, Brown refused to speak with them and locked himself inside.

The judge also ordered Brown to undergo a mental health evaluation, once he’s released from custody. Those close to Brown have been concerned about his mental state over the past year, including longtime agent Drew Rosenhaus, who says that he will not work with Brown again unless he gets help.

Brown is on the commissioner’s exempt list while the NFL continues its investigation.

Antonio Brown Surrenders To Police

January 23rd, 2020 at 10:15pm CST by Ben Levine

Jan. 23rd: TMZ Sports reports that Brown surrendered to police on Thursday night. The embattled wideout turned himself into Broward County Jail after an arrest warrant was issued on Wednesday.

Jan. 22nd: Another day, another Antonio Brown story. Following a confrontation at his home on Tuesday, the Hollywood, Florida Police Department issued an arrest warrant for the star wideout this evening (via Andy Slater of Fox Sports 640 on Twitter). The active warrant is for burglary with battery.

We learned yesterday that Florida police were investigating Brown for possible battery at his home. A moving truck driver accused Brown and trainer Glen Holt of battery, with Holt later getting arrested on one count of burglary with battery. Brown refused to speak with police officers, locking himself inside his home.

Brown has been out of the NFL since being dropped by the Patriots midway through the 2019 season, but he hasn’t been absent from the news cycle. Most recently, Brown broadcasted a profanity-laced argument with police officers and the mother of one of his children. Soon after, longtime agent and ally Drew Rosenhaus dropped him and said that he would only resume the relationship if Brown made wholesale changes to his life.

Amid the most recent fiascos, consistent (and bizarre) social media rants, and multiple accusations of sexual assault, Brown has sat in indefinite limbo by the league office. We heard yesterday that the NFL was monitoring this most-recent situation, and the inevitable arrest will be included in the league’s ongoing investigation of the former All-Pro wide receiver.

Extra Points: Slater, AB, Suggs

January 23rd, 2020 at 9:43pm CST by Ben Levine

We’ve seemingly heard the same sentiment for several years now, but it’s worth passing along once again: Patriots special teams ace Matthew Slater has no intention of retiring and hopes to stick with New England.

“I definitely feel like my family and I thought about it a lot,” Slater said The Athletic’s Jeff Howe. “I still love to play and want to continue to play. I guess as of now, I want to keep playing. We just have to see how things go from here. There are a lot of things up in the air that I don’t know, but I’m going to approach it as though I’m preparing to play next year. We’ll kind of go from there. That’s where we’re at.”

The 2008 fifth-rounder has spent his entire career with the Patriots, earning three Super Bowl rings. The 34-year-old earned his eighth-career Pro Bowl nod this season.

Let’s check out some more notes from around the league…

An arrest warrant was issued for Antonio Brown following an altercation with a truck driver, and TMZ has passed along some soundbites from the 911 call (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com). “The guy is high, he smoked, he threatened me,” the driver said. “He’s trying to fight, he throws stones at my truck.” Brown’s trainer, Glen Holt, was arrested following the incident.
After getting waived by the Cardinals, veteran Terrell Suggs was hoping he’d land back in Baltimore. Instead, he was claimed by the Chiefs, and it didn’t take long for the veteran to buy into his new team. “It didn’t take much convincing,” Suggs told Dave Skretta of the Associated Press. “This team is pretty vet-savvy. Having been in this position a few times, you learn more from failure than you ever would from success. I think that the things that have happened in years past kind of prepared this team for the task that it took. It also doesn’t hurt to have the reigning MVP, and definitely the best tight end in the game, on your team. Once they got rolling and clicking on all cylinders, we got to have fun out there.”
Remember when we heard that former star receiver Chad Johnson was going to audition for the XFL as a kicker. Well, ESPN’s Kevin Seifert writes that the 42-year-old didn’t participate in his scheduled audition on Monday. Meanwhile, league commish Oliver Luck told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle that Johnson was a “no-show” (Twitter link). As Seifert notes, one former kicker did land a XFL gig, as former Saints special teamer Garrett Hartley earned a job following the Monday tryout.

Police Investigating Antonio Brown

January 21st, 2020 at 8:30pm CST by Zachary Links

8:30pm: Despite Brown not being charged, he remains part of the Hollywood, Fla., police’s investigation, Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports. Brown refused to speak with police officers, locking himself inside his home.

6:50pm: This investigation stems from a moving truck driver accusing Brown and trainer Glen Holt of battery, Wolfe reports. Holt was arrested on one count of burglary with battery. Brown is not in custody and has not been charged. The NFL is monitoring this situation, and Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com notes it will be folded into the league’s ongoing investigation of the former All-Pro wide receiver (Twitter link).

3:40pm: More potential trouble for troubled free agent Antonio Brown. Florida police are investigating Brown for possible battery at his home on Tuesday, ESPN.com’s Cameron Wolfe (on Twitter) hears.

Details are still trickling in, but as of this writing, Brown has not been arrested at his Hollywood, Florida home. Wolfe hears that it is not a domestic violence situation, though it is a possible battery that warranted police attention.

Brown has been out of the NFL since being dropped by the Patriots midway through the 2019 season, but he’s been in the news at least twice per week, and the updates have hardly been positive. Most recently, Brown broadcasted a profanity-laced argument with police officers and the mother of one of his children. Soon after, longtime agent and ally Drew Rosenhaus dropped him and said that he would only resume the relationship if Brown made wholesale changes to his life.

Despite the erratic behavior towards the end of his Steelers tenure, the Raiders rolled the dice by trading for Brown and giving him a whopping new contract. At the time, it seemed like a savvy move to breathe life into the offense. Today, GM Mike Mayock wishes he could undo it all.

“I put that on me,” Mayock said. “My anticipation was that he was coming off a situation in Pittsburgh where he wants to prove everybody wrong and he wants to ride into the Hall of Fame. That he was going to come in with Jon Gruden and Derek Carr and our offense and lead the way. … I really thought we were going to get the best out of Antonio Brown and we didn’t.”

Even after Brown’s practice blowups and retirement threats, the Patriots were willing to gamble. They bailed, but for different reasons – Brown was accused of sexual assault by multiple women.

Talent tends to prevail in the NFL, but Brown has likely exhausted any chance of another opportunity. The Saints auditioned Brown late in the season, but opted to hold off and wait for the NFL’s investigation to conclude. At this point, the league wants nothing to do with Brown, who once ranked as one of the game’s brightest stars. Brown won’t be cleared to play by 345 Park Ave. anytime soon, and even if Roger Goodell allows him back at some point, he could be categorized as untouchable by all 32 clubs.

Raiders GM Mike Mayock On Antonio Brown, Jon Gruden, Derek Carr

January 17th, 2020 at 9:24pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Antonio Brown‘s time with the Raiders didn’t go as planned, to put it mildly. Oakland traded a couple of picks to acquire him from the Steelers, and he never ended up playing a game in the silver and black. Brown got into a very public spat with Raiders GM Mike Mayock, reportedly threatening to punch him and calling him a “cracker.” Although head coach Jon Gruden has final say on personnel matters, Mayock still caught a lot of flak for his handling of the situation. Now in an interview with Vic Tafur of The Athletic, Mayock reflected on the whole ordeal at length for the first time.

“I put that on me,” Mayock said. “My anticipation was that he was coming off a situation in Pittsburgh where he wants to prove everybody wrong and he wants to ride into the Hall of Fame. That he was going to come in with Jon Gruden and Derek Carr and our offense and lead the way. … I really thought we were going to get the best out of Antonio Brown and we didn’t.”

The Raiders ended up cutting Brown on September 7th, a couple of days after the blowup in the locker room. “We weren’t able to get anything out of him. So, at the end of the day, in hindsight, we lost a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick, and I can’t tell you how much pain that causes me,” Mayock continued. Gruden initially welcomed Brown back into the locker room the day after the altercation, which led to some speculation that the coach had taken the player’s side over his GM’s, and that Mayock wasn’t long for the franchise.

Mayock denied there were any issues between him and Gruden, and he didn’t seem concerned about his job security. “Jon and I are good,” Mayock said. “Jon and I talk everything through.” The Raiders are moving to Las Vegas this offseason, and rumors have swirled that they could be in the market for a new quarterback as they make the transition. Mayock spoke positively of Carr, saying “Derek stepped forward in Year 2 under Jon Gruden,” but he also hedged.

“As far as what the future holds, I’m gonna tell you the same thing I told you last year. About every position. And that is, my job is to evaluate every position and try and make us better. And if I can, I will, and if I can’t, I won’t. And that holds true at every position.” Spoken like a true GM. Carr was inconsistent once again this year, and it wouldn’t be a shock if the Raiders decide to make a splash at the position.

Mayock also talked about defensive end Clelin Ferrell, who the Raiders surprisingly drafted fourth overall last April. Ferrell got off to a slow start, and Mayock acknowledged as much. “I thought he was solid,” Mayock said. “Early in the year, we probably asked him to do too much. He had never played inside and he was splitting reps inside and outside. He lost weight, he was sick in London … those aren’t excuses, they’re facts.”

“After London, when he got his weight back up, I thought the season began to build for him. We asked him to play one position and I thought he got better and better each week, and we’re excited about him,” he continued. The former NFL Network analyst also revealed that he thinks the impending move will help attract free agents. “There is definitely a buzz about our move into Las Vegas,” he said. “Could be one of the big stories of free agency.” The Raiders will be one of the most interesting teams to watch in 2020.

Drew Rosenhaus Parts Ways With Antonio Brown

January 16th, 2020 at 1:15pm CST by Zachary Links

Antonio Brown is without an NFL team and without an agent. On Thursday, agent Drew Rosenhaus “conditionally” dropped the wide receiver as a client (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com).

Rosenhaus informed the NFLPA of his decision in a letter, explaining that he will not represent Brown until he seeks counsel. The agent says he would like to work with Brown, but he will not do so unless he gets help.

Brown, clearly, has bigger fish to fry before he resumes his focus on the NFL. Since being placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, Brown has made a number of bizarre posts on social media, ranging from unprofessional to downright scary. Most recently, he broadcasted a profanity-laced argument with police officers and the mother of one of his children.

Rosenhaus has fought Brown’s battles in radio interviews over the past few months, expressing his frustration with the league’s slow-moving investigation that has kept Brown in a holding pattern. At this point, the NFL has no real motivation to hurry things up and it’s unlikely that Roger Goodell wants Brown back on the field as he continues to find off-the-field trouble.

For many years, Brown was the focal point of the Steelers’ passing attack and one of the league’s very best wide receivers. Things deteriorated over time, however, leading him to the Raiders. The late summer drama over Brown’s helmet and his willingness to play now seems like a distant memory. Since then, Brown has faced multiple accusations of sexual assault, been released by the Patriots, and placed in indefinite limbo by a sport that doesn’t know exactly what to do with him.

In spite of all of this, teams expressed interest in signing Brown, pending the outcome of the NFL’s investigation. The Saints worked Brown out just a few weeks ago, then passed on him. Brown, who came to the audition flanked by an entire camera crew, later accused the Saints of working him out as a publicity stunt.

Brown has now lost one of his biggest allies and it’s clear that he’ll have to make wholesale changes to his life before he can get anywhere near the field again.

Latest On Antonio Brown

January 14th, 2020 at 10:01am CST by Zachary Links

Antonio Brown shared a disturbing video on social media this week that could be yet another barrier in his quest to return to the NFL. In the live broadcast (NSFW, profanity) Brown is seen yelling at the mother of one of his children and police, with kids present.

The Saints passed on signing Brown after working him out in late December. Later, Brown accused the Saints of auditioning him as a publicity stunt. It’s fair to say the Saints were not wild about the PR backlash of meeting with Brown, who came to the workout with a full camera crew in tow.

Brown’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, continues to insist that teams are interested, though they are waiting for the NFL’s investigation to wrap before signing him. This latest social media outburst probably won’t speed up the process, nor will it garner sympathy from the league office.

Brown has caught 841 passes for 11,253 yards over the course of his ten-year career, which includes seven Pro Bowl appearances. At this rate, he might never add to that stat sheet again.

NFC South Notes: Winston, Brown, Olsen

December 28th, 2019 at 5:50pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Buccaneers decision makers have faced one looming question at the quarterback position this season: Is Jameis Winston their franchise quarterback? Jenna Laine of ESPN chronicles the situation and details the organization’s biggest upcoming off-season decisions. Per Laine, members of the Tampa Bay organization have gone back and fourth on their belief in Winston and just a few weeks ago, some brass were “absolutely ready to be done with Winston,” however, the enigmatic quarterback has led the Bucs on a four-game winning streak and has changed some opinions.

While Winston’s play helped make his case, it also limited Tampa’s options at finding a replacement. Top quarterback prospects Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa are unlikely to be attainable for the Bucs in the draft now that they are unlikely to have a top-15 pick. There are a number of potential free agent options at the position, but Winston’s pedigree and relative youth likely means he’ll be back in Tampa.

Here’s some other notes from around the NFC South:

Wide receiver Antonio Brown was not alone when he arrived in New Orleans for his workout with the Saints this week, according to Mike Garafolo on Good Morning Football. The four-time all-pro was accompanied by his entourage and a camera crew during the process. Brown has been mired in controversy surrounding his locker room antics in Pittsburgh, his strange decisions with the Raiders, and multiple allegations of sexual and behavioral misconduct that led to his release from the Patriots. No one denies his talent, but it remains unlikely any team will sign him this season.
While the future of quarterback Cam Newton will be the biggest offseason story in Carolina, longtime Panthers tight end Greg Olsen will be deciding between retiring or returning next season. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the former may impact the latter. Newton and Olsen made one of the best quarterback-tight end combinations from 2014-16 and Yates believes Olsen is less likely to walk away from another chance to play with Newton.

Interested Teams To Hold Off On Antonio Brown

December 27th, 2019 at 9:25pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Saints won’t be signing Antonio Brown for now, and it appears there are some other interested teams who are taking a wait and see approach. Brown’s agent Drew Rosenhaus has said there are three teams interested in his client, with one of them obviously being New Orleans.

Both of the other teams that are interested in the embattled receiver have “made clear they would want to talk further with him after the conclusion of the NFL investigation,” per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Fowler adds that “anything before that is considered a non-starter.” Considering there’s nothing to suggest the league’s investigation is close to wrapping up, it doesn’t sound like Brown will be signed anytime soon. Were a team to ink Brown before the investigation is over, he would likely be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, rendering him unable to play.

Brown is quite possibly facing a significant suspension from Roger Goodell, and the earliest we’re going to see him on the field is almost certainly 2020 despite the Saints’ surprise workout. All that being said, Fowler’s report does seem to confirm that there are indeed other teams out there with legit interest. How Brown answers the questions that franchises are obviously going to have will go a long way in determining whether one of them gives him another shot.

Saints To Hold Off On Antonio Brown Signing

December 27th, 2019 at 2:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints’ Antonio Brown audition doubles as one of the highest-profile occurrences in the history of the in-season workout circuit, but the mercurial superstar does not look to be set for a lengthier New Orleans stay.

Sean Payton said Friday afternoon the Saints do not plan to sign Brown at this point, adding that this morning’s summit was “due diligence.” While any meeting with Brown would exceed such a qualifier, it may be a moot point — at least for the 2019 season.

The NFL plans to place Brown on the commissioner’s exempt list if a team signs him, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (video link). Payton confirmed (via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk) that’s the information he’s received from the league. Nevertheless, Brown’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, indicated he will continue discussions with the Saints, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

The investigation into the two sexual misconduct allegations against the 31-year-old All-Pro remains ongoing, with Schefter noting no end date is known at this point (Twitter link). A Brown return to the league will likely not happen until 2020, and NFL discipline could further delay his re-emergence.

Bringing Brown in without the intention of signing him soon is an interesting move, especially considering Payton indicated the team was not interested in him when he became available in September. The 14th-year Saints HC said Friday he was not being truthful when he previously claimed the team possessed no interest in the superstar talent.

Midway through last season, the Saints worked out then signed Dez Bryant. Their 2019 receiving corps looks similar to how it did at that point, with role players surrounding new single-season reception record-holder Michael Thomas. Ted Ginn, however, has stayed healthy this season. He remains New Orleans’ top Thomas sidekick. Jared Cook, however, serves as the key difference between this year’s Thomas supporting cast and last season’s, with the tight end’s 661 yards second on the team.

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