Antonio Brown's time running an Arena League team has been spectacularly chaotic. Setting aside that he might not even be an owner of the team, it has been a mess. Players haven't been paid, the team has gone 1-5 despite being the two-time defending champions. Furthermore, there is also talk of the minority owners suing Brown and the team dining and dashing on a $700 tab. It's just real bad in upstate New York right now.
Trying to turn things around, Brown announced that he intended to suit up for the team. Brown was supposed to play for the team on May 27. However, despite a packed crowd for the game, Brown did not play. Amid claims of a scam and a PR stunt, Brown claimed that it was simply due to a clerical error and that his paperwork hadn't been submitted to the league in time.
Antonio Brown Eyes June 17 Debut
In an interview with local Albany media, Brown said that he intended to play for the Empire on June 17. June 17 marks the next Empire home game, where they will host the Jacksonville Sharks. The two teams last met on May 20, when the Sharks blew out the Empire 79-34. It remains to be seen if Brown will actually go ahead with his first on-field performance since January 2022.
However, it's not the only story surrounding the Empire right now. Reports surfaced last month that Brown was pursuing former NFL quarterback Cam Newton in an unknown capacity. However, Brown has since taken it a step further. Taking to Twitter, Brown made a major offer to Newton. "If anybody seen @CameronNewton let him know he haven’t thrown me a touchdown in a game yet and now we finally can make it happen @thealbanyempir 6/16/23 in Albany nyc ! I’m offering Cam 150k one game play with me please spam his account 🗣️⏰ #AceBoogieToAB." This is a developing story and we'll have all the latest updates here at HotNewHipHop.
[via]