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Antonio Brown Says He Is Done With the N.F.L.
Amid a sexual assault investigation, the wide receiver cited poor treatment from league owners for his decision to walk away.
Antonio Brown, the free agent wide receiver most recently of the New England Patriots, declared on Sunday that he would no longer play in the N.F.L.
Brown, who is being investigated by the N.F.L. for multiple accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior, including rape, was released by New England on Friday, less than a week after his first game with the team. He had previously been released by the Oakland Raiders on Sept. 7, and his announced intention to no longer play in the league included a call for the N.F.L. Players’ Association to hold the league accountable for the money he believes he is still owed by both teams. Brown’s message, posted to his Twitter account, pointed to his treatment by the league’s owners as motivation for the decision. It is not clear whether Brown had received any interest from N.F.L. teams to continue his career.
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 !
— AB (@AB84) September 22, 2019
Brown, who has been active on social media throughout the off-season, posted a subsequent message calling out what he believes is the hypocrisy in how he was treated versus how the league treated Robert K. Kraft, the owner of the Patriots, who was arrested and charged with soliciting prostitution at a massage parlor.
In other Twitter posts, Brown cited accusations of sexual misconduct against his former teammate with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger, and Shannon Sharpe, a television commentator and former N.F.L. star. He also seemed to praise a group of Patriots fans that have threatened a Sports Illustrated writer who reported on some of the accusations against him.
Brown’s fall from grace has been swift. One of the most productive wide receivers in the N.F.L. over the last decade, he led the league in touchdowns just one season ago but subsequently demanded a trade away from the Steelers after he was benched for the final game of the regular season as a disciplinary measure for his having missed practices with a disputed injury.
A trade to the Raiders, in which Pittsburgh received multiple draft picks from Oakland, was fraught from the beginning of training camp, with multiple issues keeping Brown off the field. His release from that team came before a lawsuit containing sexual assault accusations was made public.
While the Raiders canceled nearly $30 million in guarantees to Brown as a result of his erratic off-season behavior and failure to meet certain benchmarks, it is not yet clear if the Patriots, who signed him just before the suit containing the rape accusation was filed, will pay him the $9 million guaranteed in that contract.
Brown’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, posted a message to Twitter on Friday saying that his client was still seeking employment in the N.F.L., but it is not clear if he would be allowed to suit up for another team. Upon Brown’s release from New England, the N.F.L. issued a statement clarifying that the player is not currently on the commissioner’s exempt list, as such a move would be unnecessary when he is not on a roster. But the statement did not rule out such a move in the future.
“If he is signed by a club, such placement may become appropriate at any time depending on the status of the investigation,” the statement read. “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.”
Benjamin Hoffman is a senior staff editor and regular contributor to the Keeping Score column in sports. He joined The Times in 2005. @BenHoffmanNYT • Facebook
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