The downfall of Antonio Brown
Sydney Taylor, Staff Writer
photo courtesy of unsplash.com
Antonio Brown’s whirlwind of an NFL career has consisted of being benched, released, and he is now taking multiple NFL teams to court.
Brown is currently wrapped up in a court case with the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders, both in which he is seeking a combined total of $40 million in unpaid salary, fines and voided guarantees.
Brown is setting out to get roughly $215,000 in fines from the Raiders. He is also wanting to receive the week’s salary from when he asked to be released which is $860,294. Brown is insisting on a full $29 million plus his signing bonus of $1 million between 2019-2020.
Brown filed to receive his unpaid Week 1 salary of $64,062 from the Patriots. He’s also filing for the $9 million signing bonus that was never paid as well. Brown also filed for breach of contract.
This all was finally filed this past Friday but Brown is also twisted up in an NFL investigation. The investigation involves his rape and sexual assault charges.
So what went wrong for Antonio Brown?
Brown had played for many NFL teams and had an incredible track record with football. He got his start in the NFL in 2017 when the Pittsburgh Steelers picked him up late in the draft. That time with the Steelers he shocked the NFL and racked up impressive stats and got a four year contract for $68 million.
Brown kept getting better and better at his sport but his choices in life were masking his success. He made choices like filming the locker room after a win to cause drama amongst a competitor. He threw a football at the quarterback of his own team out of anger at a practice.
Kyle Farley, an avid Steelers fan, said, “I have watched the Steelers since I was a boy and I hadn’t been more excited about a wide receiver since Antonio Brown. Even after what came out about him I was still a fan and wanted to watch him play for my team.”
Brown then joined the Raiders after his contract ended, and once on the team Brown stated that he didn’t like his helmet, while threatening to not practice or play unless he received a new one. He later got into an altercation with the general manager of the team and punted a football across the practice field. Then he posted a video on his social media and then made a comment leading the Raiders to release him.
The Patriots picked him up not long after but the dream did not live long with the rape and sexual assault accusations came out. He now remains without a team, Jerry Rawcliffe, Patriots fan, “I was glad to hear Antonio Brown didn’t get to stick around for our next season. He has the worst attitude and I honestly didn’t want him to poison the team that I love.”
Brown had the potential of becoming a hall of famer, but time will tell if he gets another chance to play.
