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The Antonio Brown saga continues to get stranger and sadder with each passing day. What started as a freak cryotherapy accident that caused frostbitten feet months ago, has led to an alleged sexual assault incident, with the recently traded All-Pro wideout finding himself in a potential serious situation as more information is released during an investigation.
While the verdict’s still out on how this all might end for Antonio Brown, even if the wide receiver doesn’t play a single snap for the New England Patriots — similarly to how he never played a down for the Oakland Raiders, who released him last weekend — AB would still make millions of dollars. Fair or not, that’s the situation the player finds him in; regardless of the outcome of the alleged sexual assault case, which New England claims they didn’t know about at the time of signing him a few days ago.
According to FOX Business — via Andrew Brandt, a former NFL front office executive — even if the Patriots decided to release Brown for whatever reason prior to him ever suiting up for them, the team would still owe him $9 million due to the structure of his contract. Furthermore, even if the team tried to withhold payment from the troubled wideout, he could file a grievance; which Brandt believes he would win. Here’s what Andrew Brandt tweeted out earlier today.
Many have asked about payment terms of the Patriots $9 million bonus to Antonio Brown:
$5 million due within two weeks of signing (Monday);
$4 million due on 1/15/20.— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) September 11, 2019
The Patriots could try to withhold payment on the signing bonus, pending league investigation, knowing they will have a tough time getting money back once paid. Brown could file a grievance over that, however, and likely win.
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) September 11, 2019
So as this entire process unfolds and Antonio Brown’s reputation, NFL future and (potential) freedom is figured out, at the end of the day, he’s still in line for $9 million from the Patriots regardless of what happens. Given the seriousness of the sexual assault allegations — and the few days Brown’s spent with the Pats — that doesn’t seem fair, but that’s the contract he was able to land with the team.
The entire league, media and fans knew New England was taking a major gamble when they signed Brown last weekend; especially given the timeline of wild events in the past six months alone. And while it’s still unknown what will happen to the receiver next, the team is on the hook for $9 million, which makes their bet on Antonio Brown seem even more preposterous given the latest news on the mercurial player.