After being fired (we can stop pretending it was anything else) by the Raiders and then immediately being picked up by the New England Patriots just a day or so later, star wide receiver Antonio Brown has been fired after playing just a single game with his new team in Massachusetts. Although he is without question, one of the fastest and best receivers in the game, his future looks unclear and I, for one, can't say I am terribly disappointed about that.
Despite putting up impressive numbers year after year with the Steelers, Antonio Brown, largely considered one of the best in the business, was traded to the Oakland Raiders in the past year. He never put a boot on the ground with this team in the NFL and was problematic with fellow team-members, coaching staff, and even ownership (a line almost no one ever crosses since they sign the paychecks,) the Raiders had had enough of his attitude and released him from his $50 million contract just a few weeks ago.
Unsurprisingly, this star reciever was not a free-agent for long and the New England Patriots picked him up almost immediately upon his release. Some insiders suggest that this was arranged before he was released.
However, things started to go bad for this new marriage before his plane even landed on the East coast. Right around the same time that his time with the Raiders was done, allegations of sexual assault began emerging in regards to Mr. Brown from 2 former staff members. While these alleged occurrences have not been proven, there is plenty of phone-message-oriented conversation to indicate that there is at least some truth to what these women are claiming.
The trials about these rape allegations hasn't even come close to happening yet, but the Patriots apparently were completely unwilling to face the scrutiny that would no doubt be heading their direction of they kept him on their roster and while no one, including Bill Belichick, can give any real information about WTF is going on, the decision to distance themselves from Antonio was made at the club level.
I can't say for certain, but this might be the shortest amount of time that a significant player was on the roster of an NFL team... perhaps ever. It was a mere 11 days that he was with the Patriots and even though I think Brown is a real piece of narcissistic trash, I have to admire him for suiting up, doing well, and even scoring a touchdown during that time. However, it was against the Miami Dolphins who are simply redefining how bad a professional football team can possibly be this year (I would gladly bet that they will not win a single game this season.)
Let's make no mistake: Antonio Brown is an athletic miracle. He is exceptionally fast and has amazing presence on the football field and this is why he has increased his value over time especially during his 8 years in Pittsburgh. He is arguably the best receiver in the game today. However, he is an arrogant asshole and while to a certain degree this is expected of NFL players, he pushed the limits entirely too much (apparently.)
He put up unbelievable numbers in his final season with the Steelers achieving 10,000 yards in a fewer amount of games than all but one NFL player in the entire history of the game. He was magic every time he touched the ball but would frequently argue and even fight with his teammates on the field, during the game, during a live broadcast. He would argue with and ignore the demands of the team management and would skip practice in protest. The Steelers responded by benching him and then getting rid of him to the Raiders.
So how can it be that someone that is so accomplished and is a candidate for the best at what he does, perhaps ever, is without a team when he is in his prime? I don't know for sure but i think it has to do with the fact that there is only so much assholery that can be tolerated. Make no mistake: While the players are super-rich and live a lifestyle that us mortals can only imagine they pale in comparison to the wealth and power that the team owners possess. I think Antonio crossed a line that even the most arrogant (and talented) professional athlete knows they mustn't ever cross and now he is paying the price.
I don't know if these sexual assault allegations are true and neither does anyone else (my money's on it at least being partly true) but the fact of the matter is that Antonio Brown got into the news for the wrong reasons as of late, and right now he is poison for any team that might consider picking him up.
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even with everyone wearing armor, dude still feels like a fist-fight is a good idea
Forget $50 million, forget Nike endorsements (they dropped him,) forget hall of fame, forget signing bonuses and being on top of the world to the point where you treat everyone including the other millionaires on your own team like underlings.... I think Mr. Brown is done. I think if he were to get a CFL contract worth a million he would be lucky at this point .
My prediction is that Antonio Brown is blacklisted and will never play in the NFL again. In one year he went from being one of the highest-paid and desirable players in the sport, set on becoming perhaps the greatest receiver ever, to being a player no team will touch. All because of his own arrogance.
I say, good riddance.
