The New England Patriots moved on from Antonio Brown due to off-field concerns after he was with the team for less than two weeks, but the star wide receiver believes it would be a smart business decision for Bill Belichick to bring him back.
Brown was answering some fan questions during an Instagram live session on Wednesday when the topic of the Patriots came up. He said they “still gotta pay me, so they might as well let me earn it.”
Antonio Brown: “[If] you guys follow the Patriots, tell them to call me. They still gotta pay me, so might as well let me earn it.” pic.twitter.com/5NP2sQzyC3
— Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) October 9, 2019
It goes without saying that Robert Kraft disagrees. Brown is going after his guaranteed money with both the Patriots and Oakland Raiders, and there is some belief that the Pats will eventually have to pay him. However, Kraft would probably rather hold onto the money and make Brown chase it through the court system than give it up simply because he lost a grievance with the NFLPA.
The Patriots will likely point to the fact that Brown knew a sexual assault lawsuit could be filed against him and did not disclose it to the team before they signed him. The text messages he sent to the second woman who accused him of sexual misconduct also may have been a violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. But whether an arbitrator rules that the Patriots have to pay Brown or not, they are not bringing him back.
