What happened to Antonio Brown's Albany football team? Latest franchise controversy explored
When former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown announced that he had purchased a stake in the Arena Football League's Albany Empire, it seemed like a possible successful business venture. He then turned his minority stake into a majority stake when he bought out other minority owners, leaving him 95% of the team's ownership.
In just two months' time, it has all snowballed into a disaster situation. A payroll issue prevented the entire Empire team from being paid. The team usually receives their direct deposit the next Monday after a game. The team played two games without receiving any compensation.
Antonio Brown’s arena football team, Albany Empire, in chaos after harassment claim, players not getting paid trib.al/V3LxLRy https://t.co/joaSh47pgw
When players decided to confront team personnel about the issue on the team bus, Albany Police were called to the scene. The confrontation didn't lead to any arrests, but multiple players are rumored to have been suspended due to the altercation.
Head coach Damon Ware had a volatile text conversation with Antonio Brown about the lack of payment. That led to Ware deciding to quit the team on his own. Quarterback Sam Castranova also made the decision to quit the team after the tumultuous events.
Sam and several other players were then unable to retrieve their personal belongings from the team hotel because Brown had already called the hotel and had their room keys deactivated. After a while, housekeeping did allow them to retain possession of their belongings.
The Albany Empire are one of the best teams in the Arena Football League. They are defending back-to-back champions in the league and set a high precedent in the AFL.
Antonio Brown has chosen a new head coach, who is it?
After Damon Ware announced that he was leaving his position as head coach of the Albany Empire, Antonio Brown and his staff were left to find out who would now lead the team. While it was speculated that his father Eddie, who is a former player as well as the current President of the Empire, may take over, another person has reportedly been named.
Antonio Brown's arena football team in chaos: Fired Albany Empire coach says AB 'came in and killed' franchise msn.com/en-us/sports/n…
According to TMZ Sports, Tom Menas will take over head coaching duties. This is just another interesting plot twist in the current story of the Empire. Menas was the head coach of the Albany Empire and led them to championship titles the last two seasons. But just two days before the 2023 AFL season began, he was relieved of his duties. Now it appears that he will get his old job back.
This story is clearly far from over and it remains to be seen if Antonio Brown will ensure that his team gets paid for future games.