Antonio Brown’s brief ownership of the National Arena League’s Albany Empire has been a complete and utter disaster in every single way, shape and form (just as every person in the entire world, not named Antonio Brown, predicted).
ESPN shed further light on just how epic of a nightmare his ownership tenure in Albany was.
One of the most startling revelations in ESPN’s report is that Brown allegedly threatened three Empire players with a firearm. The confrontation occurred when a birthday tribute post dedicated to late offensive lineman Mo Ruffins was unexpectedly deleted.
Dwayne Hollis, Darius Prince, and an unnamed third player confronted Brown about the situation at a cigar lounge.
Prince recounted the incident to ESPN, saying: “AB looked at (his assistant) and was like, ‘Hey, man, you still got the AR [rifle] in the car? Go get it.’ Then I was like, I’m not going to allow this dude to walk out of here after you just threatened us.”
“After he said that, things did calm down, and we had a conversation. But the fact is that he threatened us by telling his assistant to grab his AR.”
Report: A new report by ESPN claims that Antonio Brown allegedly threatened his own players with a gun during his tenure in the Arena League, via @AntOlivieri https://t.co/JoYRdIqj4v
"AB looked at Ryan [Larkin] and was like, 'Hey, man, you still got the AR in the car? Go get… pic.twitter.com/ae2tVWaesM
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 3, 2023
Hollis clarified their intention, stating, “We were there to just talk, to give our views about how that’s wrong.”
Brown initially joined the Empire as a part-time owner in March but eventually assumed the majority ownership position, following in the footsteps of his father, Eddie Brown, a former star player for the team.
Controversy plagued Brown’s ownership tenure, with the Empire’s players alleging unpaid wages in May, leading to players being locked out of hotel rooms and a revolving door of four different coaches.
Another odd twist unfolded when Brown announced his participation in the league and an imminent debut that never came to fruition.
According to ESPN, Brown and the Empire racked up approximately $21,000 in unpaid league dues and incurred a $1,000 conduct fine. Conflicts and disruptions persisted throughout his ownership.
“He came in promising the world and didn’t show for sh*t,” Prince said in the ESPN story.
Brown’s list of legal troubles from his NFL career is a mile long, and includes cases involving domestic violence, sexual assault, and the failure to make child support payments.
In August, Florida police issued an arrest order against Brown for failing to make a $15,000 child support payment.
Brown’s Steelers days of dominating on the football field have never seemed farther away.