Antonio Brown is reportedly facing a lawsuit from the football team he owns
The former Patriots receiver is accused of pulling paychecks out of players' and coaches' bank accounts.
Members of the Albany Empire, an arena football team owned by Antonio Brown, say they are planning to sue Brown, according to Mark Singelais, of the Albany Times-Union.
Players and coaches are accusing Brown of pulling the paychecks from the team’s final game out of their bank accounts, according to the Times-Union report.
Head coach Moe Leggett said he found out about the payment issue after a player posted a screenshot of a bank account in a group chat, which prompted him to check his own account.
“I’m frustrated,” Leggett said. “I’m frustrated. I tried to give [Brown] the benefit of the doubt. I tried to work with him. I was trying to be the peacemaker, the mediator to make sure things ran smoothly and just under the radar. But I can no longer do that.”
The team was kicked out of the National Arena League on June 15 after an emergency vote by league owners, according to the Times-Union. The league commissioner said Brown owes $21,000.
Bob Belber, who is general manager of MVP arena where the Empire played their home games, said he considers the team to be in default of their lease agreement.
“We have certain damages we’re going to be demanding from the Empire ownership,” Belber said. “Assuming there’s a favorable response to that, then everything can be worked out and we’ll get paid hopefully the damages that we’ll be owed. If it doesn’t, then we’ll see what other actions we may have to take.”
Brown, a seven-time Pro Bowl who played with the Patriots during the 2019 season, hasn’t played in the NFL since walking off the field at the end of the 2022 season. He owns a 94 percent stake in the Empire, according to ESPN.
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