Why is Antonio Brown being sued? Former Bucs WR slapped with $1 million accusation
Wide receiver Antonio Brown is making headlines again, this time for allegedly not paying up to $1.1 million worth of jewelry.
TMZ Sports reported that celebrity jeweler Shuki International is suing Brown for missing payment on the items he delivered last year. The package includes a rose gold black diamond version of Shuki’s famous finger jewelry worth $500,000 each. He also gave Brown a ring and a white gold chain.
Ironically, Brown wrote the song “Shuki Diamonds” and recorded it with the jeweler, whose full name is Shuki Amar. They also performed the song on stage last year. Shuki even gave Brown a Ferrari, as he admitted in this video.
Court documents revealed that Shuki handed over some of the items in February 2022, with Brown promising to pay the entire price in December. However, Shuki said that the seven-time Pro Bowler never paid up.
The lawsuit adds to the recent controversies the one-time Super Bowl winner has had. Earlier this year, his Snapchat account was suspended for posting a photo against the platform’s prohibition of sexually explicit content.
Also in December last year, Tampa, Florida police attempted to issue him an arrest warrant for alleged domestic violence charges by his ex-fiancee. The arrest stemmed from claims that Brown threw a shoe at his former partner during a November 2022 altercation.
In October 2022, it was reported that Brown exposed his private parts and became physical with a female guest in Dubai’s Armani Hotel pool. The incident allegedly happened in May 2022.
Shuki’s legal counsel, Steven H. Stone, said that his client will address the case later this week. Meanwhile, Brown hasn’t made a public comment on the matter.
Antonio Brown transitions from player to team owner
Antonio Brown announced his retirement as a professional football player in March 2023. At the same time, he also shared that he would become a part-owner of the Arena Football League’s Albany Empire. His father, Eddie, used to play for the same squad.
In a shocking change of heart, Antonio Brown shared about his new role:
“As a owner, I finally see now why it's important to make everyone know no one is bigger then the Team '! As a player, I always thought opposite!”
Retiring from the NFL ends his 12-season career, where he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Antonio Brown left the Buccaneers’ 2022 Week 17 game against the New York Jets prematurely. He took off his jersey, pads, gloves and shirt before waving to the crowd and running into the locker room. Then coach Bruce Arians declared in a post-game press conference that Brown was no longer part of the team. He ended the season with 545 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
That bizarre gesture was an unfortunate end to the career of a wide receiver who dominated in his prime. The sixth-round pick in the 2010 NFL draft became a four-time First Team All-Pro member and a two-time leader in both receptions and receiving yards. The Central Michigan alum also led the NFL in receiving touchdowns in 2018
While he won his only Super Bowl title in 2020 with the Buccaneers, his best year came in 2015 with the Steelers. He earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods after tallying 136 receptions for 1,834 yards and ten touchdowns.
Antonio Brown ended his career with 928 receptions, 12,291 receiving yards, 2,934 return yards, 89 receiving touchdowns and five return touchdowns.