Antonio Brown's Rookie Season as a Team Owner: Coaches Fired, Star Players Suspended, Missed Paychecks, and Turmoil

Scott Kinser. Shutterstock Images.

As a general rule, I try not to be a cynical man. Ideally, everyone is entitled to some benefit of the doubt. Particularly as they begin some new venture in their lives. To the extent you can provide one, every one of our fellow humans deserves a tabula rasa: A clean slate. 

But then there's that other factor, which is experience. That's a tough thing to deny. You watch the sun come up in the east every day for a dozen years or so, and you start to see a pattern developing. And you assume it's going to happen tomorrow, the next day, and the next dozen years. 

Which is where mentally where I found uncynical self in when we first learned that master Agent of Chaos Antonio Brown was starting his own new venture, owner of the Albany Empire of the National Arena League. The idea that Brown, who made a career out of driving his own employers to their silver platters of Chivas Regal, was going to suddenly mature into a calm, level-headed businessman and lead his new franchise into an era of financial stability and success on and off the indoor field sounded like a beautiful redemption story. 

Fairy tales always do. 

So my initial reaction was do doubt Brown could pull it off. Especially after his first day at the Empire's helm:

One that involved this hello, which was unique in the annals Professional Sports Franchise New Owner Introductory Press Conferences:

While it's only been two months, I think it's fair to say those doubts were well founded. I'll even go so far as to say, confirmed:

Times-Union - The Albany Empire haven’t paid players or coaches since April 21, according to one of the team’s top players.

Coach Damon Ware confirmed the lack of payment and said Monday that he has left the team.

Ware, along with wide receiver Darius Prince, quarterback Sam Castronova, lineman Brandon Sesay, defensive back Dwayne Hollis, linebacker Nick Haag and lineman Melvin Hollins were among the Empire personnel who did not receive room keys for the team’s Albany hotel. The acting team president said they have been suspended from the team. Prince, last season’s Most Valuable Player, currently has a league-leading 10 touchdowns. Castronova averages 241.3 passing yards, also a league-high. Hollis and Haag are the team’s defensive captains, and Sesay (also a captain) was playing his fifth season in Albany. …

[N]o one received direct deposits on April 28 ahead of Sunday’s game, and the team played at the Carolina Cobras without pay, one player said, speaking on condition of anonymity. 

After the Cobra victory, Brown tweeted “Who’s the best players in the country who want to play for @thealbanyempir.”

The team also posted to Instagram that it was looking for a head coach, wide receiver, defensive back, lineman and backup quarterback — though Castronova was the only quarterback rostered.

Ware is the second head coach to leave the team this season, following the departure of Tom Menas, who won two titles with the Empire. Menas was let go just before the season’s start.

Somewhere the families Rooney, Davis, Kraft and Glazer are slowly nodding their heads and asking their butlers to fetch another bottle of Chivas to celebrate the irony of it all. 

I mean, consider how much Brown put his previous franchises through. Hell, it was just a few days ago we learned the reason he's been tearing up Tom Brady like a rock star's hotel room was the GOAT used sailor talk to pressure AB's agent to re-sign his client in Tampa at a hometown discount:

That was Player Brown. Owner Brown's idea of a hometown discount is playing for free and no access to your hotel room. And he's being reduced to going on the social medias to find last minute replacements for his best players. Not at all unlike when Player Brown did the Half Monty in New York and left the Bucs shy one receiver. Or long before that, when he went AWOL from the Raiders after freeze-drying his feet in a European cryolab. Now the shoe is on the other frozen foot.

So the Empire are in just the fourth game of his reign, and not only do they need to scramble to replace some of the best players int he league, they have to scare up replacements who are willing to play football for the vague idea of possibly getting money deposited to their accounts. But no one is making any promises. 

It's ironic alright. A little too ironic. Like the ending of an O. Henry short story. The player who did everything he could to make like miserable for every coach he ever had, is now on his second coach. The guy who disrupted every locker room he was ever in, is now releasing all his best players. And the guy who never got a contract offer he wasn't insulted by, is now stiffing his employees.

I thought he'd be a bad owner, but I never imagined in my wildest dreams anyone was capable of being this bad. If Brown still owns the Albany Empire by next season, I'll be shocked. If he does and they're still in business, it'll be a miracle.