It’s been over a year since Antonio Brown last played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, yet there is probably no player that we have talked about more over the course of the early stages of each of the past two offseasons. Even though he was traded over 10 months ago, he’s still making headlines within the Pittsburgh media, and for sad reasons.
As we have been relaying for the past couple of days, the former Steelers great wide receiver—many of whom believe he would have a Hall of Fame resume right now (discounting his personal affairs) if he never played another snap—had gotten himself into some further legal trouble.
It started when he had a moving truck ship some of his belongings back from the west coast. He didn’t want to pay the fee, then started throwing rocks and whatnot. After further back and forth, it ultimately led to himself and his trainer getting physical with the driver, prompting police intervention.
Brown spent the past two days bunkering down in his home, avoiding all contact with the police, but they ultimately issued a warrant for his arrest, and he finally agreed to turn himself in of his own accord last night. Based on the bond he was given, it’s clear that he had to spend the night in prison.
He is charged with felony burglary with battery, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, and criminal mischief. He is said to have tried to remove his belongings from the truck, with the belongings of others onboard, after the drive attempted to leave when he would not pay the fee.
Brown’s lawyer spoke for the receiver last night as he went to court, merely saying that his client is “innocent of these charges”. Reportedly, he did not know he would have to pay the fee upon the arrival of his belongings, and that an associate who arranged it, and who presumably would have had to tell him, had already been fired.
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to see a path back into the NFL for the great wide receiver. He last played just one game for the New England Patriots in 2019, catching a touchdown pass from Tom Brady, the only touchdown he has ever caught as a professional no thrown by Ben Roethlisberger.
Prior to that, he had forced the Steelers to trade him earlier in the 2019 offseason, the team eventually finding a suitor in the Oakland Raiders, who were willing to give him both a raise and new guaranteed money. They ended up releasing him.
The Patriots signed him anyway, but would ultimately have to release him as well, not just after his former trainer, a female acquaintance, formally accused him of rape, but after he publicly harassed a second accuser.
Since then, Brown has only gotten one workout, from the New Orleans Saints, to which he literally brought his own camera crew and published a rap song about it, documenting his experiences and framing it as a fake opportunity.
I’m sure owners can’t wait to add that to their locker room.
