Antonio Brown

NFL Considering Paid Leave For Antonio Brown

September 11th, 2019 at 9:36am CST by Zachary Links

The NFL will give serious consideration to placing Antonio Brown on paid leave via the commissioner’s exempt list, multiple people tell Mark Maske of the Washington Post. Brown has been accused of rape and sexual assault in a federal lawsuit filed in Florida and the NFL may take action against him as the legal process begins.

If placed on the exempt list, Brown would be barred from playing. It’s a decision is expected to come this week, after some investigating by the league office, before the Pats take on the Dolphins in Miami. Then again, the NFL could theoretically allow Brown to play for the Pats while the investigation is underway, then later decide to place him on paid leave.

Brown reported to the Patriots’ facility on Wednesday with the expectation that he would participate in practice and meetings. The wide receiver, though his attorney, has denied any wrongdoing and termed the lawsuit as a “money grab.”

The league has used the commissioner’s exempt list to park other notable players in recent years, including Greg Hardy and Adrian Peterson.

Antonio Brown Accused Of Rape In Lawsuit

September 10th, 2019 at 7:47pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown has been accused of rape in a lawsuit filed Tuesday, reports Ben Shpigel of the New York Times.

The woman accusing Brown is apparently his former trainer, according to the lawsuit, which alleges three separate sexual assaults from June of 2017 to May of 2018. Britney Taylor, the accuser, is a gymnast who says she met Brown when they both went to Central Michigan.

Shpigel writes that “first, he exposed himself and kissed her without her permission, the lawsuit says. Later that month, the lawsuit says, while she was watching a television program at his home, Brown started masturbating behind her and ejaculated on her back. Brown bragged about the incident in profane text messages that are copied in the lawsuit.”

Those two incidents allegedly happened in June of 2017, and the lawsuit alleges that Brown then raped her in May of the following year. Nearly immediately after the story broke, Brown’s lawyer Darren Heitner issued a statement on Twitter. In the statement, Heitner denies the allegations on behalf of Brown and says he “will pursue all legal remedies” to clear his name. Heitner does acknowledge that the two had a working relationship, and says they had consensual sex on at least one occasion. Brown’s camp seems to be alleging that this is extortion by Taylor, saying she attempted to elicit $1.6MM from him, and that Brown views it as a “money grab.”

You can view the full lawsuit at this link. Nick Underhill of The Athletic tweeted out some of the documents from the lawsuit that Shpigel references, which purport to be emails from Brown (warning: they’re pretty vulgar). Per Shpigel, Taylor said she would cooperate with the NFL in a potential investigation from the league. “As a rape victim of Antonio Brown, deciding to speak out has been an incredibly difficult decision,” Taylor said in a statement released by her lawyer. “I have found strength in my faith, my family, and from the accounts of other survivors of sexual assault.”

Shortly after the news broke Vic Tafur of The Athletic, a Raiders beat writer, tweeted that “this was coming for a while.” That would seem to suggest the allegations were known by at least some within the league before they came to light, although that’s not entirely clear. It’s also unknown as of right now whether or not the Patriots had any knowledge of the allegations before they signed Brown over the weekend.

Obviously, this threatens Brown’s status moving forward with New England. It’s far too early to jump to any conclusions, although it’s safe to assume that the league will be conducting their own investigation. Brown was already facing a possible suspension for his blowup with Raiders GM Mike Mayock, and now could be looking at additional discipline.

Antonio Brown Recorded Jon Gruden With Consent

September 9th, 2019 at 12:42pm CST by Zachary Links

It seems that Antonio Brown‘s pseudo-commerical – featuring sound bites of a phone conversation with Jon Gruden – was part of his social media campaign to push the Raiders for his release. It was speculated that Brown recorded Gruden without his consent, which would open the wide receiver up to legal consequences and NFL discipline.

Apparently, that’s not the case. The producer of the video tells ESPN’s Dan LeBatard that Gruden approved the use of their conversation (Twitter link).

This would help to explain why Gruden reportedly thought the video was “awesome,” though Brown was released hours after its release. Apparently, this was not the straw that broke the camel’s back, probably because there were many other straws that infuriated the Raiders far more.

Brown, the newest member of the Patriots (somehow), has himself a one-year deal worth up to $15MM, plus a 2020 club option that could be worth $20MM. Here’s the Year One breakdown, per Rapoport (Twitter link): $9MM signing bonus ($5MM paid now, $4MM later), $1MM base pay, $500K in46-man roster bonuses, and “Not Likely To Be Earned” incentives of $1.5MM for each of the following: 105 catches, 1,298 yards, 16 TDs.

Given Brown’s ability and past production, those benchmarks are far from “not likely.” However, for cap purposes, they are designated as NLTBEs.

Pats Have 2020 Option For Antonio Brown

September 9th, 2019 at 10:01am CST by Zachary Links

For many reasons, there’s no telling how long Antonio Brown‘s run with the Patriots will last. But, if things go well, the Patriots will have the option to keep the wide receiver through the 2020 season, Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter) hears.

It was initially reported that Brown’s deal would be worth “up to” $15MM with $10MM guaranteed in total. As it turns out, Brown’s deal also includes a $20MM option for the 2020 campaign. The option serves two purposes. First, the obvious – the Patriots can keep the partnership for another year, if they choose to do so. Secondly, the additional year will help with cap proration for 2019, giving them extra flexibility this year.

It’s a potentially big win for Brown, as well. If he hits on his incentives this year and cashes in for $20MM next year, he’ll reel in even more than the ~$30MM guarantee that he was set to collect from Oakland. There’s also still an outside chance that he can walk away with some of that guaranteed cash from the Raiders, even though he never played a down of real football for them.

Several Teams Had Interest In Antonio Brown

September 8th, 2019 at 10:18am CST by PFR Staff

Several teams were interested in signing Antonio Brown prior to him agreeing to a deal with the Patriots, Chris Mortensen reports on ESPN. Mort lists the Seahawks and Browns among the teams that were eyeing the wide receiver. QB Russell Wilson worked out with Brown during the offseason.

As a vested veteran, Brown was not subjected to waivers, meaning he was able to sign anywhere he pleased once the Raiders released him. Here’s more on the Brown-saga:

The Patriots attempted to trade for Brown back in March but the Steelers rebuffed those inquiries as they didn’t want to send him to a rival, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. New England was willing to give up picks for him then but now, after the signing him as a free agent, they were able to land Brown without surrendering compensation.
According to Mortensen (above link), the Patriots were willing to give the Steelers a first-round pick for Brown during the offseason. Pittsburgh ultimately didn’t want to trade Brown to a place they would have to face him.
Antonio Brown sought advice from social media consultants on how he could accelerate his release from the Raiders, per Mortensen (same link). Posting the letter from GM Mike Mayock that stated he would be fined was among the moves Brown made on social media leading up to his release.
Brown could be suspended by the league office, as we passed along on Saturday. It was reported that the Raiders were considering suspending him prior to him finding his way to the free agent market.

Latest On Antonio Brown

September 7th, 2019 at 8:56pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

One of the weirdest opening weeks in recent memory is starting to wind down, and a full slate of regular season games is right around the corner. Before that though, we have one more batch of notes on Antonio Brown. The All-Pro receiver is a member of the Patriots now, and there will surely be more fallout to come as the dust settles. Brown was on the open market for just a few hours before inking a one-year deal with New England, and the defending champions now have one of the best group of skill position players in the league.

Here’s the latest on the star of the 2019 offseason:

First off we have more details on his new contract, courtesy of Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. It was initially reported that Brown’s deal would be worth “up to” $15MM, and include a $9MM signing bonus. Per Schefter, there’s only $1MM in guaranteed money besides the signing bonus. The other $5MM is incentives, he reports.
The Raiders ultimately didn’t suspend Brown over his confrontation with GM Mike Mayock, and the Patriots obviously won’t be suspending him. That doesn’t mean he is out of the woods entirely though, as Brown could apparently be suspended by the league office for a Personal Conduct Policy violation. A league spokesman declined to comment on the matter, per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, who notes the policy specifically prohibits “[v]iolent or threatening behavior toward another employee or a third party in any workplace.” If the league finds that Brown threatened Mayock as some have reported, he could be slapped with a suspension.
The Patriots raised a lot of eyebrows by giving Brown a $9MM signing bonus given his recent erratic behavior. Teams can usually recoup 25 percent of a signing bonus if something goes wrong, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (Twitter link). La Canfora wonders whether the Patriots asked for different language in the contract to protect them further in the event that things go off the rails like they did in Oakland.
The Raiders voided Brown’s guarantees before releasing him, and there have been rumblings that Brown might pursue a grievance to try to recoup some of that money. Even if his agent Drew Rosenhaus does pursue the grievance and it is successful, he won’t be getting all that money back. Brown’s deal with Oakland contained offset language, so “the $9 million signing bonus he’ll get from the Patriots — and any other money he earns as a player in 2019 and 2020 — reduces the amount he could pursue in a potential grievance over his voided guarantees,” Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets. As such, it doesn’t seem like the grievance will be very high-stakes, if it gets filed at all.

Patriots Sign Antonio Brown

September 7th, 2019 at 4:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Hours after the Raiders released Antonio Brown, the Patriots are set to swoop in. They have agreed to terms with the mercurial superstar, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The defending Super Bowl champions are set to take a chance on arguably this era’s premier wide receiver, despite his drama-filled 2019. The Patriots announced the signing.

This will be a one-year deal worth up to $15MM, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk tweets. Brown will receive a $9MM signing bonus, which could well end up being more than he will end up collecting from the Raiders.

Unfortunately for the football-following world, Brown cannot face the Steelers on Sunday night. But he stands to be part of this stunningly high-profile receiving corps Monday. Brown’s Instragram, as could be expected, has him Photoshopped in a Patriots jersey. Bleacher Report’s Master Tefatsion was the first to report Brown was nearing a Patriots deal (Twitter link).

In one of the league’s ultimate talent-trumps-everything moves, the four-time first-team All-Pro will move from the Raiders — who sent third- and fifth-round picks to the Steelers for Brown in March — to the Patriots. Different circumstances are obviously involved, but this mirrors another polarizing great’s trek from 12 years ago. The Pats traded a fourth-round pick to the Raiders for Randy Moss in 2007; Moss set the NFL’s single-season receiving touchdown record that season.

The Patriots exited their sixth Super Bowl season with question marks at wide receiver. They are set to enter Week 1 with Brown, Josh Gordon and Demaryius Thomas joining Julian Edelman. For a franchise that thrives on strikes of this sort, this qualifies as one of the Patriots’ all-time transactions. (Of course, the Pats will likely part ways with one of their wideouts, with Florio positing — on Twitter — Thomas might be the one to go.)

New England entered Saturday with $6.21MM in cap space, so some maneuvering will need to be done. But the perennial AFC favorites will see if they can manage the 31-year-old talent in a way the Raiders could not.

Brown has since released another video showing not exactly veiled excitement once he learned the Raiders released him (Twitter link). This came a day after a reportedly emotional apology Brown issued to his Raider teammates. There are not many NFL stories that can compete with this one, pound-for-pound.

Brown’s offseason included multiple retirement threats, him forcing his way out of Pittsburgh, the cryogenic chamber mishap and a months-long helmet dispute that ended with two rulings against him. His week included sharing a photo of a Raiders fine, a confrontation with GM Mike Mayock and a social media leak of a Jon Gruden phone call. The Raiders voided Brown’s $29MM-plus guarantees and released him shortly after, doing so a day after opting not to suspend him for Week 1. Brown will not play in Week 1 but will be eligible to suit up when the Patriots travel to Miami next week.

On the field, Brown has submitted a Hall of Fame resume. He transformed from sixth-round Steelers find to perennial Pro Bowler; he landed on the top All-Pro team from 2014-17. Last season, his yardage dropped to 1,297 but he still led the league with 15 touchdown catches. Brown has surpassed 1,499 yards in a season four times; the Patriots have only had one player (Wes Welker in 2011) do that in their 59-season history.

While not all of the Patriots’ gambles have worked out, with the likes of Chad Johnson and Albert Haynesworth disappointing following Foxborough arrivals, Moss and Corey Dillon delivered a major return. There certainly is no guarantee here, but the Patriots’ signing bonus reveals a degree of confidence they can make Brown’s Massachusetts stay look closer to his All-Pro work than what transpired in Oakland.

AB Fallout: Gruden, Steelers, Contract, Doss

September 7th, 2019 at 3:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the crazier sagas in modern NFL history concluded Saturday. The Raiders released Antonio Brown after voiding his guarantees, setting themselves up for another potential decision on Brown requiring an arbitrator. Jon Gruden addressed the decision, which came a day after he said Brown would play in Week 1 against the Broncos.

“We just have exhausted everything,” Gruden said. “We tried every way possible to make it work. And all I’m gonna say is it’s disappointing. We did everything we could to make this work. I’m sorry it didn’t. I apologize, but I’ll tell you, I’m very proud of what we did as an organization to try. I wish Antonio the best. I’m sorry we never got a chance to see him in silver and black. … I just don’t think it worked. It didn’t fit here.”

The Raiders’ top receivers going into Monday night’s game are now Tyrell Williams and J.J. Nelson. They drafted Hunter Renfrow and kept Ryan Grant over Gruden Hard Knocks favorite Keelan Doss.

Here is the latest from this round of AB fallout:

Brown did not completely morph into the polarizing figure he now is until Week 17 of last season, a sequence that began his Pittsburgh exit. A 2012 date sticks with some Steelers figures, however. A day after Brown received the first of his two Steelers extensions (July 28, 2012), he engaged in a heated exchange with Steelers defenders and then-DC Dick LeBeau at a training camp practice, Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com notes. Another component in the Brown saga, per Robinson: Steelers owner Dan Rooney‘s death. The late owner was a Brown supporter, and Robinson adds Brown “took it hard” when the organization prioritized Ben Roethlisberger over him. This is a bit strange because the Steelers did not give Big Ben his latest extension until Brown forced his way out, though the team did back Roethlisberger after Brown’s Week 17 became an amazing run of drama.
Drew Rosenhaus mentioned this Brown saga indeed could become a legal situation, regarding the released wideout’s $29MM-plus in guarantees, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). “We’ll do what’s best for Antonio. We will speak with the NFLPA,” Rosenhaus said, via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link). While the Raiders no longer employ Brown, their part in this process does not look to be over. If Brown were to win a grievance, the Raiders could be tagged with $29.125MM in dead money, ex-GM Mike Tannenbaum tweets. The Steelers are already eating $21.12MM in 2019 dead cap charges.
Interestingly, the Raiders tried to bring Doss back after releasing Brown. But the Jaguars moved to give the rookie UDFA a full veteran-minimum salary to keep him, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports (video link). Doss will become by far Jacksonville’s highest-paid practice squad player, making an active-roster minimum of $495K. The practice squad minimum is $8K per week.
Any team that signs Brown will guarantee 25% of his 2019 salary, per OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald (on Twitter), because of termination pay rules. However, if one of the other three teams playing on Monday night — the Texans, Saints or Broncos — sign Brown before their respective games (extremely unlikely), Brown’s salary would be fully guaranteed.
Count the Saints out, however, with Sean Payton quickly indicating (via NOLA.com’s Herbie Teope, on Twitter) his team will not pursue the volatile All-Pro. This figures to be a theme, but there will certainly be teams that investigate this situation for a possible free agent signing.

Raiders Release WR Antonio Brown

September 7th, 2019 at 11:02am CST by Ben Levine

And just like that, Antonio Brown‘s tenure with the Raiders has come to an end. The organization announced that they’ve released the star receiver. This comes hours after Brown requested his release from the team via Instagram.

Of course, the saga between these two sides is far from over. Brown effectively hasn’t seen a dime from the organization (Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com estimates that he earned a week’s salary), as the majority of his 2019 money was via a guaranteed $14.625MM base salary that was voided last night. As Mark Maske pointed out earlier today (on Twitter), Brown’s camp will likely fight both the team’s attempt to revoke the entire $29.1MM in guaranteed money and his $215K in fines.

As we noted earlier, the Raiders told Brown that he would “no longer will be entitled to termination pay” should he be released; former GM (and current ESPN employee) Mike Tannenbaum notes that the organization can’t “unilaterally take away a player’s right to termination pay” (which is a CBA perk for veteran players). On the flip side, the Raiders could pursue a “conduct detrimental claim” to recoup the money. That’s when things get tricky; the organization would then be dependent on the ruling of an arbitrator. If Brown’s behavior isn’t deemed to be detrimental, then the Raiders would have sacrificed more than $30MM and a pair of draft picks for zero production.

Brown has been a constant source of drama throughout his brief tenure in Oakland. Following frostbitten feet and a helmet dispute, it all seemed to culminate this week when the receiver berated general manager Mike Mayock after being fined for missing practices. The organization was then reportedly set to suspended the wideout, although the two sides seemingly made up, Brown was simply fined, and reports indicated that he’d play in Week 1. Then, last night, Brown was officially slapped with those fines, which then voided his guarantees. As a result, the 31-year-old requested his release this morning, and according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Brown is attributing his discontent to the team’s apparent lack of respect.

“Told me do not come in Thursday. Bad my name,” Brown told Rapoport (Twitter link). “Then come work, give two papers after the press conference. No guaranteed no way.”

For the Raiders, the drama has seemingly ended for the time being. As Fitzgerald tweets, the move should open up around $28MM in cap space this season (pending any grievances). Meanwhile, the team will now have clarity on their receiver depth chart heading into Week 1. As of right now, Tyrell Williams and JJ Nelson are listed as Derek Carr‘s top targets.

Considering his status as a veteran, Brown isn’t subject to waivers, tweets NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. ESPN’s Field Yates tweets that the receiver is free to sign with a new team at 4:01 PM EST today, although he won’t be eligible to play for a new team tomorrow. Agent Drew Rosenhaus indicated that he’ll immediately start looking for a new home for his client.

“Now that Antonio is a free agent, we are focused on the future and I will immediately work on signing him to a new team,” Rosenhaus said (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter). “Antonio is looking forward to a new beginning.”

The agent also provided some insight into Brown’s failed stint with the Raiders.

“It’s been well-documented that it’s been a rocky road from the beginning,” Rosenhaus told Rapoport. “Unfortunately, not all relationships between players & teams work out. … Everybody had the best intentions going in but it didn’t pan out.”

Raiders Void Antonio Brown’s Guarantees, WR Asks For Release

September 7th, 2019 at 8:25am CST by Ben Levine

If you can possibly believe it, the Antonio Brown saga has taken yet another turn this AM. The Raiders wide receiver just posted a lengthy Instagram post that ended with him asking for his “release” from the organization (via Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com on Twitter).

“I have worked my whole life to prove that the system is blind to see talent like mines,” Brown wrote. “Now that everyone sees it, they want me to conform to that same system that has failed me all those years. “I’m not mad at anyone. I’m just asking for the freedom to prove them all wrong.” Release me @raiders.”

ESPN’s Adam Schefter provides a bit of context (via Twitter), noting that Brown was fined $215K last night for “conduct detrimental to the team” (stemming from an incident earlier this week). Thanks to the fine, the Raiders voided the more than $29MM worth of guaranteed money on the receiver’s contract. Schefter adds that the Raiders also sent Brown a letter stating that he “no longer will be entitled to termination pay” should he be released.

Meanwhile, ESPN’s Jeff Darlington tweets that he received an email from Brown this morning, with the wideout lamenting that the organization “took away my guarantees.” The receiver added that there’s “no way I play after they took that and made my contract week to week.”

Even with the financial context, “release me” could still be up for interpretation, potentially providing the player and organization with one more out. Considering Brown’s erratic behavior throughout the offseason, one could argue that Brown was asking the organization to ‘let him be himself.’ On the flip side, after days of reports that the Raiders could look to void the receiver’s guarantees before ultimately releasing him, perhaps Antonio could have opted for a better word. Considering the twists and turns of this ordeal, either explanation wouldn’t be all that surprising.

Last night, Brown remained on track to suit up for the Raiders’ Week 1 game against the Broncos on Monday night in Oakland. This revelation followed a confrontation with Mike Mayock, an incident for which Brown was fined (not suspended). Then, last night, Brown shared a video that revealed his private conversation with head coach Jon Gruden.

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