With help from the NFLPA, Brown will demand that the Patriots pay him the remainder of his '19 contractGETTY IMAGES
Antonio Brown has declared that he will "no longer play in the NFL," and now he is calling for the NFLPA to "hold the league accountable for the money he believes is still owed him" by both the Patriots and Raiders, according to Benjamin Hoffman of the N.Y. TIMES. Brown, who was released by the Patriots on Friday, "pointed to his treatment by the league’s team owners as motivation for the decision." He posted a message on Twitter "calling out what he believes is the hypocrisy in how he was treated versus how the league has treated" Patriots Owner Robert Kraft (N.Y. TIMES, 9/23). SI.com's Michael McCann noted Brown "intends to file a grievance" today against the Patriots. Brown, with "assistance from the NFLPA, will demand" that the Patriots "pay him the remainder" of his '19 contract, which contained a $1M base salary, along with a $9M signing bonus as well as various roster bonuses and performance incentives. Five million of the $9M signing bonus is "due to be paid" today. If the Patriots refuse to pay the $5M, Brown "would have actionable grounds to grieve an alleged breach of contract" (SI.com, 9/22). ESPN’s Chris Mortensen said, “It’s not a losing grievance, to be quite honest with you, but the NFL in the meantime is conducting its investigation pretty aggressively right now." He added, "They will have to make a decision. They’ll come to a conclusion when they have the findings and certainly whether he's a candidate for the Commissioner’s Exempt List in the event a team signs him” (“Golic & Wingo,” ESPN Radio, 9/23).
SELF DESTRUCTION: THE ATHLETIC's Lindsay Jones wrote the "only person responsible for Brown’s situation is Brown" himself. If he "never plays in the NFL again," it is "entirely his fault." Brown is "hardly the first player to call for guaranteed contracts, but his behavior over the past nine months leaves him in no position to argue for it" (THEAHTLETIC.com, 9/22). FS1’s Nick Wright said, "What has happened in the last 30 days where he has blown $30 million and more is just inexplicable and a level of self-sabotage that I cannot remember" (“First Things First,” FS1, 9/23). ESPN’s Trey Wingo said, "The guy has literally just burned his house down”(“Golic & Wingo,” ESPN Radio, 9/23).
TOP-DOWN DECISION: In Boston, Christopher Gasper reported Robert Kraft, Patriots President Jonathan Kraft and coach Bill Belichick all "came to the same conclusion" to release Brown after reviewing texts he allegedly sent a woman who accuses him of making unwanted sexual advances. Brown "wasn’t worth it." It was "time to cut their losses -- and him." The Patriots "felt the texts crossed the line." It also "mattered that this transgression happened as a member of the Patriots." The team "never should have signed him." His presence was "more difficult to justify than the venial offenses of Spygate or Deflategate" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/22). In DC, Maske & Kilgore cited sources as saying that they "suspect the Patriots released Brown because they sensed the NFL was about to place him on paid leave." Other sources "contend otherwise, saying the Patriots acted on their own and were not told by the NFL that Brown being placed on the exempt list was imminent" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/22). In Boston, Tom Keegan cited a source as saying that it was Robert Kraft who "made the ultimate decision to disassociate" from Brown, and Belichick reportedly "was in total agreement." Kraft "did the right thing," and in doing so "gave credence to his words about the level of respect he has for women" (BOSTON HERALD, 9/21).
UNTOUCHABLE? In N.Y., Mather, Draper & Macur reported NFL Chief of Security Cathy Lanier on Friday met with an "unnamed woman who said she endured unwelcome sexual advances from Brown two years ago." Whether or not Brown "gets another opportunity remains to be seen." In a statement Friday night, the NFL said that Brown "would not be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list -- which is effectively paid leave -- as long as he remains a free agent" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/21). USA TODAY's Christine Brennan wrote, "Hallelujah. He’s gone. Finally, someone is listening to women" (USA TODAY, 9/21).
FINAL THOUGHTS: In Boston, Dan Shaughnessy wrote the "spineless, silent Bob Kraft and the Patriots get no points for this move." In this instance, the Patriots "failed to do anything when it mattered." They "ceded the moral high ground" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/21). USA TODAY's Mike Jones wrote the Patriots and Brown "each exit from this tryst looking awful -- even worse than they did when they initially joined forces" (USA TODAY, 9/20). The MMQB's Albert Breer wrote under the header, "Patriots May Have Released Antonio Brown, But the Team Is Far From Innocent" (SI.com, 9/20). YAHOO SPORTS' Kimberley Martin wrote Belichick "brought this on himself." The Patriots released Brown "not because they wanted to," but "because, in the end, Brown gave them no choice" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 9/20). In Boston, Chad Finn wrote cutting Brown "was the right thing to do, and it makes up for the misguided decision" to sign him in the first place (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/22). In N.Y., Jane McManus wrote under the header, "Antonio Brown Latest Proof That Patriots, NFL Just Don’t Get It" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/22). USA TODAY's Nancy Armour wrote for Belichick to "wash his hands of Brown, everyone in the NFL knows only a fool would think he would have better luck" (USA TODAY, 9/20).
