Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown is making his return to the football field on June 17 when he suits up for the National Arena League’s Albany Empire, who will host the Jacksonville Sharks on that day.
Brown revealed the news to Rodger Wyland of NewsChannel 13 (h/t TMZ Sports, 3:13 mark):
Brown is a seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro who last played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. He averaged 114 receptions, 1,524 yards and 11 touchdowns from 2013 to 2018, per Pro Football Reference.
Brown has a complicated relationship with the team on numerous levels. He’s previously claimed to be the team’s sole owner, but that is not actually the case. Per Abigail Rubel of the Albany Times Union, the team is actually owned through Antonio El-Allah Express Trust Enterprise, of which Brown is a representative. He does not have “personal ownership or control over the team,” per Rubel.
There’s been controversial moments otherwise ever since Brown connected with the Empire in March. Andrew Crane of the New York Post relayed some of it on May 5.
“Earlier this week, former head coach Damon Ware revealed on social media that players and coaches hadn’t been paid since April 21, which the team president said resulted from a payroll issue amid the ownership transfer.
“But then star players were suspended following an incident on the team bus, which resulted in police getting called to the hotel.
“Ware — who left the team this week and was replaced by Tom Menas, the former head coach who was fired ahead of the season — also called Brown’s initial time with the Empire a ‘hostile takeover.'”
Brown was initially slated to play for the Empire on May 27 against the Fayetteville Mustangs, but he said that those plans did not come to fruition because paperwork was not turned into league offices on time.
The 1-5 Empire sit last in the seven-team league after a five-game losing streak. They have won the league championship in both of their seasons in the league (2021, 2022).