PUNTED

Antonio Brown’s Arena Football Team Axed by League After Skipping Payments

Brown and his team, Albany Empire, failed to pay both a required fee and a $1,000 fine, according to National Arena League officials.

The arena football team league owned by embattled wide receiver Antonio Brown was booted out of the National Arena League after he failed to pay his dues—literally. In a statement, the league said Thursday that the unanimous decision had been made on “an emergency conference call of the members in good standing.” Citing Albany Empire’s failure to pay its portion of the league’s operating budget in May, the statement also noted that Brown had refused to pay a $1,000 fine for public comments he’d made. “Major league not minors,” Brown tweeted shortly after the announcement. He was missing from team practice on Thursday morning, according to the Albany Times-Union. The team’s current head coach—its fourth this season—said he didn’t have an explanation for Brown’s absence. Since 2019, Brown, who is currently a free agent, has been released by the Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in quick succession. He was cut from the Patriots as the NFL investigated allegations of sexual assault made against him.