The Antonio Brown saga has been full of twists and turns, to the point where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be in danger of flying off the tracks.
Yes, the Buccaneers officially released Brown on Thursday, four days after his sideline outburst at MetLife Stadium. But his departure leaves Tampa Bay’s receiving corps thin, and now the Bucs might face a whole separate issue if new allegations involving Brown are true.
Ava Louise, a social media influencer and OnlyFans model, told DailyMail.com that Brown snuck her into his hotel room — breaking NFL COVID-19 protocols — the night before his in-game meltdown. And she claims to have been intimate with Brown, whom she said she first connected with via Instagram in 2018.
Big deal, right?
Well, Louise revealed Thursday on social media that she tested positive for COVID-19.
Obviously, that’s concerning as the Bucs prepare for their regular-season finale against the Carolina Panthers. Brown played the entire first half of Sunday’s game against the New York Jets — mere hours after allegedly being with Louise — so it’s at least within the realm of possibility, if her claims are accurate, that Tampa Bay experiences COVID-related problems with the NFL playoffs looming.
Just as troubling are Louise’s claims about Brown’s behavior leading up to and during their alleged sexual encounter. Louise told DailyMail.com that Brown appeared disturbed and left her rambling voice messages before they met up, and then drifted in and out of sleep after they had sex, which the wide receiver allegedly insisted on filming.
“He was mumbling (in the messages) and not making sense,” Louise told DailyMail.com. “Honestly, I thought he was drunk.
“He kept saying ‘I have money for you, I have a bonus for you’ and I was like, ‘What are you saying?’ I just thought that was weird.”
According to Louise, Brown wanted her to sleep over but she declined after learning he had a meeting with quarterback Tom Brady early Sunday morning. She said they exchanged text messages after Sunday’s tantrum — during which Brown removed his pads and exited the field shirtless in the third quarter of Tampa Bay’s 28-24 win — and that she felt compelled to speak out because she’s concerned about his mental health.
“I had no intention of exposing Antonio Brown ever but then I saw what happened and I thought, ‘Oh my god, I’ve seen the events leading up to this breakdown — I’m involved,'” she told DailyMail.com. “I really couldn’t understand half of what he said (at the hotel) because he was mumbling. This man really did not seem OK.”
Louise told WFAN’s “Carton & Roberts” on Thursday that Brown’s lawyer on Tuesday offered her $10,000 not to tell the story. Obviously, that alleged offer went nowhere, with Louise saying the story is “way too juicy” to settle for anything less than $100,000.
According to Louise, Brown reached out in wake of her story going public, to which she allegedly replied: “I saw an opportunity and ran with it, babe. No hard feelings. Still love you (heart emoji). At least it’s a sexy story.”
When asked by “Carton & Roberts” about Brown’s ankle, Louise said: “I think he is (lying), because he was just all hyped to play (Sunday). Nothing about his ankle. And he was walking around the room with me fine. He brought me in the room. He seemed fine.”
Brown issued a lengthy statement Wednesday accusing Bucs head coach Bruce Arians of trying to force him to play through an ankle injury. Arians since has denied that allegation.
For the record, Louise went viral in 2020 for licking a toilet seat on TikTok as part of a “coronavirus challenge.” Just something to consider while digesting this story.
