It has been a wild and crazy 24 hours, make that decade, for former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, Antonio Brown. Brown has been the subject of a lot of media attention since he left Pittsburgh in a cloud of bitterness and resentment (from both sides).
Albany Empire
The initial Albany Empire leaders from left, Eddie Brown, Antonio Brown, original owner Mike Kwarta ad President Matt Woods.
Since leaving the NFL in 2021, after he became persona non-gratis on every team he had joined, he decided to become an owner himself. Brown, and his father Eddie Brown, have invested in their hometown National Arena League (NAL) team, the Albany Empire. Anyone who follows Brown won't be surprised to hear that his time in Albany has been rife with scandal.
Now word is out that Brown has brought ruin upon his own team, and the Empire has been kicked out of the NAL for failure to pay league assessments.
Former Steelers Star Antonio Brown Gets The Boot Out Of The National Arena League
NFL reporter Dov Kleiman tweeted recently how the NAL has had enough of Brown. Saying that the league just announced they are kicking the Empire out of the league.
"The decision was reached after an emergency conference call of the members in good standing to discuss the Empire's failure to pay their league-mandated and overdue assessments. Each team is responsible to pay for 1/7 of the league's operating budget via monthly assessments starting in April."
Breaking News:
— NationalArenaLeague (@NALFootball) June 15, 2023
The National Arena League has officially terminated the Albany Empire franchise. As of today they will no longer be a Member of the NAL. See full article: https://t.co/SB44bBB3tx pic.twitter.com/KGapEanIh6
Owners in good standing might as well read, "every owner but Brown" and it is not hard to understand why. Less than 24 hours ago, videos were released of Brown referring to himself in the third person and discussing whether he is going to play for the Empire or not. Brown has been saying he is going to take the field once he gets medical clearance.
"I cost too much to even play in this league. I wanna know if AB is gonna pay for playing. I'm Antonio Brown and I wanna know if AB's gonna pay me the money."
Griffin Haas
Griffin Haas tweeted out videos of Antonio Brown complaining about the NAL and the way he feels he has been treated.
Brown also made comments in the videos about how he saved the Empire. He remarked that people keep saying he is such a bad guy (all while speaking in the third person still), for not paying dues when he has been the reason the team is staying afloat. Apparently, his version of saving something is different than the majority of folk's definition of salvation. The trouble didn't stop there according to Kleiman.
"The Empire's owner, Antonio Brown, was also fined $1,000 for conduct detrimental to the league for his recent public comments. Brown refused to pay that fine."
Brown has been openly complaining about the league almost since buying the team in March. He implies frequently that he is of a different caliber owner than the rest of them and says he is taking the Empire out of the league, now the choice has been made for him.
"This is the last year in the NAL, next year we are going to the AFL. Not a lot of owners in this league got the type of money to even be in this league. A lot of naysayers around here."
Mark Alberti / Icon Sportswire
Former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown has been a near-constant source of controversy.
Kleiman said that the league felt they had given Brown ample warnings. It appears that instead of taking the situation seriously, Brown focused on creating drama and chaos.
"After acquiring the Albany Empire, Brown paid the Empire's April assessment. The team then failed to make their May 15th assessment payment and last week, just before the Empire's game in Orlando, the league was notified that the April assessment was being challenged. That payment was subsequently credited back to Mr. Brown," tweeted Kleiman.
Brown had asked the league to communicate with his accountant, Alex Gunaris, about all financial matters pertaining to Empire. The NAL informed Gunaris that they were attempting to collect the assessments and he told them it didn't appear Brown was going to pay. The league then set up an emergency conference call during which they decided to give him until Thursday, June 15th at noon to make the payment.
Once that time came and went and Brown still had not paid, they terminated the league affiliation. This forced the Empire to cancel their next game against Jacksonville.
AP / Matt Slocum
Pittsburgh Steelers Antonio Brown, left, runs past Green Bay Packers Atari Bigby during the first half of Super Bowl XLV on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011 in Arlington, Texas.
What this will mean for the future of the Empire is unclear. It is also difficult to ascertain how much of what Brown says is accurate. Does the Empire have a shot at going into the Arena Football League which will be returning in 2024?
What do you make of Brown's latest chaotic behaviors? Do you think he is treated as unfairly as he keeps saying? Click to comment below.
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