Report: Antonio Brown unlikely to receive signing bonus due to failure to disclose case

Antonio Brown was released by the New England Patriots on Friday, 11 days after officially signing with the team. The team cut Brown after he sent harassing and intimidating text messages Wednesday to a woman who accused him of sexual misconduct.

Brown is being paid for his two weeks on the team, but will he receive the $9 million signing bonus he was set to earn? Probably not, according to a report.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said it was “unlikely” for Brown to receive the bonus because of a “representation warranty clause that calls for a player to disclose any situations that may prevent continued availability.”

A previous report said that the Patriots would not have signed Brown had they known about the sexual assault civil lawsuit that was filed by Britney Taylor a day after his deal with the Pats was made official. This report seems to confirm that.

Brown’s contract called for him to be paid $10 million in guarantees and up to $15 million if he hit various incentives. Brown’s $9 million signing bonus was broken into two payments — $5 million was set to be paid on Monday, and $4 million in January. The Patriots decided to cut Brown now before making the large payment.

Brown may end up earning around $155,000 for the season. He had $30 million in guarantees with the Oakland Raiders he squandered, and $10 million with the Patriots. And he’ll end up with a tiny fraction of that amount.