Once an on-field kind of hero to Pittsburgh Steelers fans, former wide receiver Antonio Brown, is paying his respects to real heroes for Memorial Day weekend. He's also doing it while doing something that hasn't been done since the days of the infamous George Halas, playing for a team he owns.
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George Halas is widely considered the father of the National Football League. He owned, coached and played for the Chicago Bears.
Halas founded and owned the Chicago Bears and the American Professional Football Association, now the National Football League. The Bears are one of the oldest NFL teams in existence. Halas, a war hero who served in both World War I and World War II, started the Decatur Staleys (later the Bears) in 1920.
During his time with the team, he played for them, coached them, and owned them. He was the only person ever to play for a team he owns until now.
Steelers' Antonio Brown Is Committed To Helping The Albany Empire Improve
Brown bought a stake in the Albany Empire in March of 2023 and from the beginning, it has been one headline after another, and it is not for their excellent gameplay.
It all started when there was chaos over the ownership of the team. Was Brown the sole owner? Partial owner? The only thing that was certain was that Brown bought into the team with his father Eddie Brown, who played for Albany in the 1990s when they were the Firebirds.
Just as it became clear that Brown was the majority owner, other drama began to pop up. There were issues with paying the worker's compensation insurance as well as players and coaches saying they weren't getting paid.
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Former Steelers WR Antonio Brown now owns the Arena team, Albany Empire.
It wasn't just debt with the team that was haunting Brown. He was also $30,000 behind in child support and had to be told by a judge to pay up. He was sued by a jeweler for not paying for over $1 million in custom pieces and a restaurant said he walked out on a $700 bill.
Initially upon becoming an owner, Brown spoke to the media apologetically about the way he has behaved in the past. He said he felt guilty for being so selfish when he was a player. That didn't seem to last long, almost immediately he was caught on video threatening one of his own security guards when they asked him to get off the field so a game could start.
Apparently, the Empire's players weren't too happy with not getting paid and the firing of Head Coach Damon Ware. It led to a fight on the team bus that resulted in player suspensions. Several players complained that Brown refused to allow them to get their personal belongings after the bus incident and the police had to come and sort it out.
Then word broke that Brown, who now claims he is a foreign national, has a genius new idea on how to help fix this once very successful team. He is going to suit up and play.
Yes, you heard that right, the 34-year-old is planning to return to the field. He recently said that former NFL quarterback Cam Newton will also be joining the Empire. It is still unclear if that is a joke or a serious bit of news, it's hard to tell with Brown these days.
Carolina Panthers
Steelers' Antonio Brown and Carolina's Cam Newton have forged an off-field friendship and may play together for Empire.
Brown reportedly ran a route at practice this week according to Griffin Haas of WTEN in Albany. After that practice, Brown told assembled reports he plans to play on Saturday against the Fayetteville Mustangs.
The last time Brown took the field for an actual professional football game of any sort was on January 2, 2022, for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brown refused to play. He said he had an ankle injury, but the team said he didn't, and he was eventually kicked off the field. In typical Brown fashion, he couldn't just go quietly. Instead, he stripped out of his jersey and pads and ran up and down the sideline.
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Antonio Brown strips off his uniform and leaves the field in dramatic fashion after a disagreement during a Tampa Bay game.
That was apparently the moment when the NFL had enough of Brown's antics. He hasn't been signed to another team since. Brown says that he is hoping the NFL sees that he still has what it takes and calls him for a roster spot.
If you are a member of the armed forces or a first responder, police, or firefighter, you can come and see for yourself for free this Saturday. WRGB CBS-6 said they confirmed with the MVP Arena, you can never be too sure with Brown, and it is true. You just need to bring your official work or military ID card and show it at the box office.
If you do go, snap some photos and send them to me, let me know how Brown does if he joins the team on the field.
What do you make of all of this? Is this just a publicity stunt, or do you think Brown actually has a shot of making it back into the NFL? Do you think any NFL team would even take Brown back? If so who? Click to comment below.
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