Antonio Brown has had a whirlwind of a year, to say the very least.
The disgruntled wide receiver was traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Oakland Raiders. Brown missed training camp due to suffering frostbite from a cryotherapy machine and issues with not being able to wear his usual helmet. He took to Instagram and posted a video of a conversation between Brown and head coach Jon Gruden before demanding his release on the social media platform.
The Raiders obliged and Brown found himself a member of the New England Patriots. But that stint didn’t last long — 11 days to be exact — and the wideout again was unemployed. But things were a bit more serious this time around, as Britney Taylor, Brown’s former trainer, accused him of sexual assault and rape. These accusations were brought on before he signed with New England, but the team’s reported final straw were text messages sent to a group of people in September — including a second woman who said Brown made unwanted sexual advances toward her and didn’t pay for her a mural he wanted painted — that were intimidating and included pictures of the woman’s kids.
Brown has been out of the NFL since.
But it appears he’s been going down some sort of slippery slope since being released, with cryptic Instagram posts, a new rap song and bashing the NFL before saying he wants back in.
And now his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, is speaking about his client in a new feature released by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Monday. Rosenhaus touched upon his release from the Patriots and some “external things” that had an “impact on his NFL career.”
“I certainly don’t want to speak for the team, but he wasn’t released (from New England) because of his interaction with the team on a day-to-day basis,” Rosenhaus said, via Fowler.
Fowler noted Brown’s agent referred to him as a “‘model citizen’ in the New England locker room.”
So, what’s up with Brown’s behavior of late?
“For the overwhelming majority of his career, Antonio was a successful member of the Steelers organization and the NFL family,” Rosenhaus said. “This year there were some external things that went on in his life that contributed to great pressure and stress. That certainly had an impact with his NFL career.”
Of course, those “external things” pertain to Taylor’s accusations. Brown is countersuing.
Brown solidified himself as one of, if not the best wide receiver in football during his nine-year stint with the Steelers. But that quickly was erased after his recent troubles came to light.
