Despite an abrupt end to his NFL career, the former wide receiver Antonio Brown never gave up looking to rush the play and instead of moving forward as a player, he chose to dedicate the rest of his career as an owner or partner of the teams.
With the purchase of a stake in the Albany Empire of the National Arena League, Browns got started his career as an owner, however, he did not find much success in this endeavor, as the team encountered so many issues under his ownership that they were later expelled from the league. The former Buccaneers player is back in the news for a new partnership with ESPN during this contentious time.
Antonio Brown teases new partnership with ESPN
On Friday, ESPN laid off nearly 20 prominent employees, including NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay, “Monday Night Football” analysts Suzy Kolber and Hall of Famer Steve Young, NBA analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Jalen Rose, radio hosts Keyshawn Johnson and Max Kellerman, and baseball writer Joon Lee, as part of a strategy to reach its fiscal goals.
One individual in this situation shocked the NFL community by announcing his new collaboration with ESPN in a Twitter post. Just a day after the company’s big decision for this year, Antonio tweeted “Excited to announce my new partnership @espn”.
Excited to announce my new partnership @espn 👈🏾👉🏾👉🏾👈🏾👉🏾👈🏾
— AB (@AB84) July 1, 2023
Why was Antonio Brown’s Albany Empire kicked out of Arena League?
Following his exit from the play against the Jets and motioning towards the locker room during the match in a bizarre and shirtless gesture, the Pro Bowl wide receiver‘s NFL chapter was closed and a few days after the game, the Bucs made his release official.
He then made his debut as an owner-player and acquired the majority of Albany Empire ownership on April 19. However, his team was expelled from the National Arena League just over two months after making this risky move.
According to reports, Antonio failed to pay what he owed to the NAL and refused to do so, forcing the league’s management committee to convene a meeting and sever all ties with the Browns’ team.
“Unfortunately Mr. Brown has failed to meet the deadline to his team’s required financial obligations, and as a result, the league has terminated his membership Agreement,” the league said in a press release.
With his wandering and abrupt move, AB clearly set himself up for criticism from both his fans and the leagues before his new partnership had even begun. Let’s see if he can complete this venture successfully and, at long last, have a happy ending.
