Antonio Brown - Pro Football Rumors

Antonio Brown Says He’s Done With The NFL

September 22nd, 2019 at 8:42am CST by Rory Parks

Embattled wide receiver Antonio Brown took to Twitter this morning to announce that he will not be playing in the NFL anymore. Brown said:

“Will not be playing in the @NFL anymore these owners can cancel deals do whatever they want at anytime we will see if the @NFLPA hold them accountable sad they can just void guarantees anytime going on 40m 2 months will see if they pay up!”

In a follow-up tweet, Brown threw shade on Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who was infamously involved in a prostitution sting earlier this year. Brown said, “Kraft got caught in the parlor AB speculations fired different strokes different folks clearly.”

He then went completely nuclear and tweeted headlines from older news stories concerning sexual assault and rape allegations levied against Ben Roethlisberger and Shannon Sharpe, both of whom obviously still have prominent roles in and around the league (Twitter links). He also seemed to offer support for Patriots fans who were making death threats against Robert Klemko, the Sports Illustrated reporter who broke the story regarding Brown’s second accuser (Twitter link).

By now, most everyone is familiar with the Brown drama, and as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network observes, it sounds as if Brown just got the news that the Patriots will not be paying him the $9MM signing bonus that he agreed to when he signed with New England (Twitter link). The first $5MM of that bonus was due to be paid tomorrow, and as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com wrote in a story that was published before Brown’s tweet, the Pats were not expected to cut that check. As a result, Brown will be filing a grievance, as ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports (via Twitter).

Of course, just because the mercurial Brown says he’s done with the NFL doesn’t mean he actually is. While it seems unlikely that he will sign with another team this year — especially since the NFL could put him on the commissioner’s exempt list as soon as he signs — all it takes is one club to roll the dice. By signing Brown, a team may be paying him to sit on the exempt list, but that team would also be securing his rights if and when he comes off of that list. On the other hand, Brown’s latest tirade has led to at least 10 head coaches and/or GMs saying that their team owners will not touch Brown, whom they consider radioactive (Twitter link via Jason Cole of Bleacher Report).

For now, the NFL’s investigation into the accusations of sexual assault and rape made against Brown is ongoing. Rapoport observes that the league has concluded its meeting with Brown’s second accuser.

Pelissero notes in a separate tweet that the NFLPA is indeed prepared to represent Brown in his battle to recoup his “lost” funds. Meanwhile, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that, despite speculation to the contrary, the XFL is not interested in Brown.

A Few Teams Interested In Antonio Brown?

September 21st, 2019 at 8:01pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It’s been assumed that after Antonio Brown was released by the Patriots, he’d have a hard time finding a new home. It’s certainly understandable that most teams wouldn’t want to touch him right now, but a few clubs are apparently sniffing around.

“A few teams” are interested in his client, Brown’s agent Drew Rosenhaus said, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Rosenhaus said the teams “want information regarding his legal situation and the NFL investigation.” The league has said they won’t stop him from playing as they continue to investigate allegations of sexual assault, but we haven’t heard of any real interest before now.

Despite Rosenhaus’ claims, Schefter wrote in a follow-up tweet that people around the league believe a signing is “not likely to happen” until the investigation is fully resolved. Since there’s no timeline for the league’s investigation wrapping up, it certainly seems quite possible that Brown sits out at least the rest of the season.

Brown is likely set for a battle with the Patriots over his signing bonus money, and any deal he signed with a new team would surely include very little guaranteed cash. There are plenty of teams that could use Brown’s talents, but to say they’d be taking a risk is a massive understatement. Brown’s off-field behavior has been erratic to say the least, and although he says he wants to play right away, it wouldn’t be shocking if he’s played his last down of NFL football.

Antonio Brown Rumors: Kraft, Suitors, Cap

September 21st, 2019 at 3:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Antonio Brown‘s latest stay in free agency is, as expected, lasting longer than his brief unattached period between his Raiders and Patriots stints. He remains unemployed as Week 3 Sunday nears. Here is the latest from the Brown rumor mill, beginning with more on the Patriots’ decision to cut him:

Robert Kraft became “enraged” while learning the details of Brown sending texts to a woman who accused him of sexual misconduct, and Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports (subscription required) he and Bill Belichick then spoke of the receiver’s status in New England. The two Pats power brokers agreed Brown had to go, after only 11 days with the team. The report from SI.com’s Robert Klemko about the messages broke late Thursday night, and barely 12 hours later, Brown had seen a third team part ways with him in less than seven months.
While the Patriots are expected to have an avenue to avoid paying Brown anything beyond his Week 2 and Week 3 base salaries, Field Yates of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter) the receiver is still counting $4.5MM on New England’s cap. As it stands currently, Brown represents a $4.5MM cap hold on the Pats’ 2019 and ’20 cap sheets.
If and when a Brown grievance comes regarding his $9MM signing bonus — which was set to be paid in two installments, Monday and then in early 2020 — Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap writes a Patriots victory in that setting would give them more than $5MM in 2020 cap credits.
The Seahawks have already come out and said they are not interested in Brown this time around. Another suitor who was interested earlier this month is bowing out this time, too, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (video link). This may be a common refrain, as Brown is dealing with far more troublesome issues than he was when the Raiders cut the cord.
It would be hard to imagine the Redskins pursuing Brown, considering what Jay Gruden saw his brother go through over the summer in trying to manage the mercurial talent, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes the NFC East franchise should not be ruled out. This is the team that placed a waiver claim on Reuben Foster when no one else did, and Florio adds this could be more of a Dan Snyder–Bruce Allen decision. Foster had been arrested on multiple occasions when Washington claimed him, and it does not appear an arrest is in the cards for Brown. The Redskins are also 0-2 and thin on skill-position talent. For now, the 31-year-old superstar is in the clear to seek NFL employment, though a commissioner’s exempt list stay may be on the horizon if he signs anywhere. That will hurt his chances of playing for another team in 2019.

NFL Won’t Stop Antonio Brown From Playing

September 20th, 2019 at 8:38pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL won’t place embattled Antonio Brown on the Commissioner’s exempt list. At least, not while he’s a free agent. The NFL released the following statement regarding Brown on Friday night:

“Antonio Brown was released today by the New England Patriots and is currently an unrestricted free agent. Our office is presently investigating multiple allegations, some of which are the subject of pending litigation. We have as yet made no findings regarding these issues. The investigation is ongoing and will be pursued vigorously and expeditiously.

As long as Mr. Brown is a free agent, placement on the Commissioner’s exempt list is not appropriate. If he is signed by a club, such placement may become appropriate at any time depending on the status of the investigation. Upon the conclusion of the investigation, he may also be subject to discipline if the investigation finds that he has violated the law or league policies.”

At this moment, it’s hard to see Brown landing another deal in 2019. But, for what it’s worth, agent Drew Rosenhaus seems to think his client isn’t far off from playing again.

“It’s unfortunate things didn’t work out with the Patriots,” Rosenhaus said in a statement. “But Antonio is healthy and is looking forward to his next opportunity in the NFL. He wants to play the game he loves and he hopes to play for another team soon.”

Brown Fallout: Patriots, Contract, Seahawks

September 20th, 2019 at 6:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots have released Antonio Brown, making them the third team to move on from the all-time receiver great in the past seven months. Here is the latest Brown fallout:

Brown practiced with the Patriots earlier Friday, but some in the organization viewed the text messages Brown is believed to have sent to the artist who accused him of sexual misconduct to have crossed a line, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports (video link). Bill Belichick said earlier today the team was “looking into” some Brown-related matters. Brown having sent those messages after becoming a member of the Patriots changed the scope of this situation for the franchise, per Reiss.
The Patriots are unlikely to have to pay Brown much money, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. A representation warranty clause in Brown’s contract, which Fowler notes puts the short-term Patriot at risk of losing more guaranteed money because of not disclosing “any situations that may prevent continued availability” prior to signing with New England, stands to give the franchise cover here. Brown’s Patriots guarantees were believed to be in jeopardy after the first allegation surfaced. Instead of paying millions in guarantees, Fowler writes the Patriots are likely only to have to pay Brown his base salaries for Weeks 2 and Week 3. An NFLPA grievance could still emerge, however. Brown’s bonus payments were due in two parts — $5MM Monday and the other $4MM on Jan. 15.
After the text messages became public, the NFL ordered Brown not to have any further interactions with the unidentified artist, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. “The NFL has assured us that regardless of Antonio Brown’s roster status, it will continue to investigate all claims regarding his behavior,” the artist’s attorney, Kendra Barkoff said in a statement. The investigation into Britney Taylor’s allegations of multiple Brown sexual assaults is ongoing, with the NFL set to conduct more interviews. Taylor met with the league for 10 hours on Tuesday.
One of the teams connected to Brown after the Raiders released him will not look into signing him now. The Seahawks are content with their wide receiver situation, Pete Carroll said (via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson, on Twitter).

Agent: Antonio Brown “Hopes To Play For Another Team Soon”

September 20th, 2019 at 4:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Will Antonio Brown find another NFL deal soon after his Friday release from the Patriots? Agent Drew Rosenhaus seems to think so.

“It’s unfortunate things didn’t work out with the Patriots,” agent Drew Rosenhaus said in a statement. “But Antonio is healthy and is looking forward to his next opportunity in the NFL. He wants to play the game he loves and he hopes to play for another team soon.”

For those of you just tuning in – Brown was cut by the Patriots following a new round of allegations from an artist who is accusing him of sexual assault (not to be confused with Brittany Taylor, the first known AB accuser). The artist – who is choosing to remain anonymous – says that Brown sent her intimidating text messages this week.

In turn, her lawyer shared screenshots of the text with reporters covering the NFL and the league office. The Patriots, less than 24 hours later, cut ties with the embattled wide receiver.

From a pure talent standpoint, the league’s 31 other teams would theoretically be interested in Brown now that he is a free agent. For obvious reasons, the Steelers and Raiders will not be suitors for him – that leaves 29. Now that Brown has been accused of four separate incidents of sexual assault by two different women, and made an apparent effort to dig up dirt on one of them, that number could very well be down to zero.

Patriots Release Antonio Brown

September 20th, 2019 at 3:24pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have released Antonio Brown after just one game with the club. His release comes on the heels of a second round of allegations from his second accuser, who says that he sent her intimidating text messages.

“The New England Patriots are releasing Antonio Brown. We appreciate the hard work of many people over the past 11 days, but we feel that it is best to move in a different direction at this time,” the team said in a statement.

New England is set to pay him $5MM of his $9MM signing bonus on Monday. The entire signing bonus is guaranteed, meaning that the Patriots and Brown are likely scheduled to rumble over whether the wide receiver will collect on it.

Cash aside, it’s unlikely that Brown will find another NFL home anytime soon. Then again, we’ve seen crazier things happen in the league.

While Brown faces civil suits from both of his accusers, he does not currently face any criminal charges. Recently, the Allegheny County District Attorney announced that he would not pursue charges against Brown for two 2017 events alleged by Brittney Taylor. It’s still possible that criminal charges arise from his alleged 2018 dalliance with Taylor, or from his interactions with the second anonymous accuser, known simply to be an “artist.”

Brown’s total stay in New England lasted just eleven days. He was the 72nd player in NFL history to catch a touchdown pass from Tom Brady and that could go down as his only on-field moment of note for the Patriots.

Accuser: Antonio Brown Sent “Intimidating” Text Messages

September 20th, 2019 at 8:50am CST by Zachary Links

Antonio Brown won’t be facing criminal charges for two of the three sexual assault he’s being accused of, but he could still be in jeopardy with the NFL and the legal system. The latest accusation from Brown’s second accuser, if proven to be true, could easily take the Patriots star off of the field.

Brown’s accuser claims she received threatening text messages from the wide receiver on Wednesday, as Robert Klemko of The MMQB writes. In turn, her lawyer notified the NFL of the matter on Thursday night and included screenshots of the text in his letter to the league office.

Brown, she says, texted her and three other people to encourage the other parties to dig into the woman’s past. In response, the accuser’s lawyer petitioned the NFL to take action against Brown for “intimidating and threatening” her client in what she views as a “violation of the NFL Personal Conduct Policy.”

Brown’s lawyer, Darren Heitner, was one of the people in the group text. He did not respond to the messages in the group chat and declined to comment when asked about the messages by Klemko.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says the NFL is meeting with the accuer’s lawyer’s today (Twitter link). As of this writing, Brown is slated to take the field for the Patriots on Sunday afternoon when they face the Jets, but that could change in a matter of hours. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk says AB has been caught with a smoking gun and suggests that the NFL and the Patriots should take swift and severe action against him.

In his meeting with the media today, Pats HC Bill Belichick said the team was “looking into” the latest incident but would not offer further comment. When he was asked again about Brown, Belichick cut the press conference short by walking off the podium.

Antonio Brown Won’t Face Criminal Charges For Alleged 2017 Incidents

September 18th, 2019 at 12:11pm CST by Zachary Links

The Allegheny County District Attorney will not pursue criminal charges against Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown for two alleged incidents that took place in 2017 (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Former Brown cohort Brittney Taylor has accused him of three separate incidents, in total, so he is not necessarily out of the woods in terms of legal repercussions. It is presently unclear whether Brown will face charges for the third alleged incident, which is said to have taken place in May of 2018.

The DA will not pursue charges against Brown for these two alleged sexual assaults, which Taylor says took place in June of 2017, due to the statute of limitations. That is to say, the DA is not speaking to the merits of the accusations one way or another by declining to press charges.

While football is secondary in this entire matter, we must note that this will potentially impact Brown’s availability for the Patriots moving forward. If no charges, or convictions, come any of Taylor’s three separate accusations of sexual assault, it is possible that Brown will not face league discipline. Of course, the league office still reserves the right to suspend Brown based on the results of their own investigation.

In his Patriots debut on Sunday, Brown caught four passes for 56 yards and one touchdown. This week, he’s slated to turn his attention to the Jets. Brown’s status is very much day-to-day due to the issues surrounding him, but the NFL typically makes these types of rulings on players by Wednesday morning of any given game week. Barring something unforeseen, the Patriots will have Brown on the field at the Meadowlands.

Latest On Antonio Brown

September 17th, 2019 at 7:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL’s meeting with Antonio Brown accuser Britney Taylor spanned 10 hours Tuesday, but the league does not have a timeline on potential discipline for the Patriots wide receiver, Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports.

Taylor has accused Brown of multiple instances of sexual assault and filed a civil suit against the 31-year-old wideout. Brown has denied the allegations. Brown made his Patriots debut Sunday and remains on New England’s active roster.

Since Taylor’s suit, another woman has come forward accusing Brown of sexual misconduct. An unidentified artist Brown commissioned to paint a portrait of him at his Pittsburgh-area home said the then-Steeler approached her from behind while she was painting and did so with only a towel covering his genitals, Robert Klemko of SI.com reports. The artist said she met Brown at a National Youth Foundation charity auction. NYF co-founder Sophia Hanson told Maske she has not been contacted by the league and, to her knowledge, neither has the artist.

The second accuser is not pressing charges, Klemko adds. Brown’s attorney tweeted his client denies this accusation as well. Brown has not been charged with a crime.

Were Brown to be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, he would still be paid but would be ineligible to join Patriots teammates for practices or games. The NFL has used this tactic during pending cases, though this matter is somewhat different given that it’s a civil case and not a criminal investigation.

The league’s investigation is expected to take months, per The Athletic’s Daniel Wallach (subscription required). So an exempt list decision could well be a defining moment for Brown’s 2019 season. Ultimately, Taylor’s testimony helps lead the legal reporter to the conclusion that Roger Goodell will place Brown on the exempt list soon.