You know when former Pittsburgh Steelers stand-out wide receiver Antonio Brown is embroiled in controversy? When it is a day ending in "y." It never seems to end with Brown, or is it for Brown? Regardless of the reasons, Brown keeps the media busy.
Albany Empire
The Albany Empire leaders from left, Eddie Brown, Antonio Brown, original owner Mike Kwarta ad President Matt Woods
The latest controversy has to do with his new National Arena League team The Albany Empire. This is hardly the first time Brown has found himself in hot water since buying the team. In fact, Brown has become a sad kind of parody of the great player he once was.
The seven-time Pro Bowler was once considered a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame, but he is now a bit of a pariah, almost no one in the NFL wants to be aligned with him. Brown seems to have the opposite of whatever the Midas Touch is. It is sad to see someone so talented fall so far.
Former Steelers WR Antonio Brown Is Always In The News And It's Not Good
To recap some of Brown's recent headlines, a judge ordered Brown arrested for failing to pay child support. Brown has several children with multiple women and apparently was in $30,000 worth of arrears.
Brown has also had issues surrounding his team, the Empire. Recently Brown announced he was the sole owner of the team, in spite of the other owners insisting that isn't true.
He also made the news when he refused to comply with a security guard's request to clear the field prior to an Empire game. Brown repeatedly told the guard he was the owner and could do what he wanted. Brown released a video of the incident applauding himself for handling it respectfully, meanwhile, he physically threatens that guard on the video he himself released.
If only it ended there, but it does not. Brown also is being sued by a jeweler to the stars for over $1.1 million for custom pieces he did not pay for. The list of troubles goes on and on.
Steelers' Antonio Brown Accused Of Not Paying His Players And Chaos Ensues
Now Brown is being accused of ripping off more than just the jeweler, he reportedly has not paid the men who play football for him.
Getty Images
Former Steelers WR Antonio Brown now owns the Arena team, Albany Empire.
According to the New York Post, the Empire's interim head coach Damon Ware, confirmed via his social media page that players and coaches have not been paid since April 21. That date just so happens to coincide with when Brown supposedly took full ownership.
The usual practice has been to pay players Friday before the game. That did not happen and the men played a game without pay. According to Brown, there was a bank mix-up switching the accounts over from the previous owner, Mike Kwarta. In addition to former owner Kwarta leaving, a number of the team's front office staff left when Brown took over. This apparently only added to the chaos.
Facebook/Damon Ware
Head Coach of the Albany Empire, the team owned by former Steeler Antonio Brown, talks with his team in a huddle during a recent game.
The players were notified that they would be paid on the Monday after the game. The Empire went on to lose that game against Carolina and Brown fired Ware. The players were not too happy with the firing of Ware on top of the lack of funds and an incident occurred on the team bus. It is not entirely clear what exactly transpired, but it resulted in a number of suspensions.
Those suspended players included starting quarterback Sam Castronova and wide receiver Darius Prince who was the league MVP in 2022. The police were called because Brown apparently refused to allow them access to their hotel rooms because of the suspension. The officers that responded told Brown that he had to allow them to retrieve their personal belongings.
New York Channel 13 was on the scene at the hotel and spoke with some of the players. They were told by kicker Michael Hall, that he was punched in the face by another player on the bus. Shortly after the station interviewed Hall, other players came forward disagreeing with his account.
New York News Channel 13
New York Channel 13 released this note they were given from an Albany Empire player that prohibits several of the members of the team from having access to their hotel rooms and thus their personal belongings.
What initially appeared to be a positive outlet for Brown and his father has turned into an absolute circus. These situations aren't good for the men who make this their career, Arena football, the people of Albany, or Brown himself.
What do you think of Brown's latest incident? Why does it feel like everything he touches turns to chaos? Tell us what your impressions are, click to comment below.
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