Around the Kilt: The end of Antonio Brown
Liam Meyer - Contributing Writer
From being a Hall of Fame wide receiver to a disgraced player, Antonio Brown has had an amazing fall from stardom. According to the Atlantic, in his situation, “. . .He’s been accused of rape and sexual misconduct by two women. He’s been released by two teams, the Raiders and the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.” This then follows Nike dropping him and the Raiders voiding his $30 million contract, which also includes his lack of a guarantee from the Patriots $9 million contract. At this point, many teams are uninterested in signing him because of the allegations and his consistent berating of previous teammates and management (The Atlantic). Simply going to Brown’s twitter page, his lack of maturity is extremely prevalent. In two tweets that he has since deleted, he brought back allegations of sexual assault on to Ben Roethlisberger and Shannon Sharpe. I am assuming this is an attempt to make his situation look less worse, but by pointing fingers at others, clearly does not hide his situation.
As of his employment opportunities, I wouldn’t completely believe that he is unemployable. I would like to say that no team would hire him and that allegations of sexual assault would make him unemployable, but I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if a playoff hungry team is willing to risk their reputation to put him on the roster. On Brown’s twitter page, he claims he won’t play until he gets his guaranteed money back from the Patriots and Raiders. According to ESPN, he also announced that he will returning to Central Michigan University, further adding to his strange plans. I doubt that if a team comes knocking at his door he won’t sign with them, but he will probably make another controversy about that as well.
Riley Dulin - Sports Editor
Imagine being able to catch a touchdown pass from Tom Brady. This is the dream of many young football players aspiring to one day be an NFL wide receiver. Antonio Brown had this dream, until he messed it all up, being released by both the Patriots and the Raiders this season. Antonio Brown is in hot water to say the least. From his hot-tempered attitude towards the Raiders’ coaching staff, to various sexual assault allegations, Brown could face even more personal and legal consequences for his actions.
It would be completely asinine to let Antonio Brown play in the NFL again. After taking for granted the opportunity of a lifetime, I believe Brown should not be given another chance. I also do not believe that said chance will ever be given to Antonio Brown. First of all, it is evident that he would be a major distraction on whatever team he could possibly join. Teams like the Patriots, with their successful team culture have shown that they have no room for potential distractions like Brown, regardless of how talented he is. Teams have balked at the idea of signing Colin Kaepernick, for an offense nowhere near as severe as being accused of sexual assault. Because of this, I find it very hard to believe that any NFL team will be overly interested in Antonio Brown.
Another reason for why Brown should not be on an NFL team is due to the accountability players must have at the professional level. The NFL sponsors several initiatives for children such as Play 60: encouraging kids to get outside and exercise. These athletes are supposed to be role models for young kids, and keeping Brown in the league while he shows no remorse for his actions teaches them that it is okay to disrespect authority figures. Professional athletes are like superheroes in the eyes of our youth, and keeping someone like Brown in the league directly contradicts everything the NFL stands for.