Antonio Brown

Antonio Brown has had an NFL career marred with controversies. The Super Bowl-winning wide receiver is currently a free agent after spending two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent a majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers but left after relations with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had soured. Amid controversies surrounding his reckless behaviour off-field, Brown has also been convicted of battery and sexual allegations. Brown is, however, one of the best wide receivers to have played the game and has been part of 7 Pro-Bowls.

Antonio Brown’s Early Life and Background

Antonio Brown was born in Miami, Florida. His father Eddie Brown was an Arena Football League player, who played as a wide receiver for the Albany Firebirds. Brown attended Miami Norland High School and played a variety of positions like running back, wide receiver, quarterback and punt returner for his High School team. Brown enrolled at North Carolina Prep Tech for one season where he played as a quarterback. He attended and played for Central Michigan University from 2007 to 2009. Brown had also received a scholarship from Florida International University, but he was expelled after having an altercation with the security.

He played 14 games in his freshman season and made 102 receptions for 1003 yards along with 6 touchdowns. Brown was the starting wide receiver for Michigan and played every game in his sophomore season. In his final season as a Michigan player, he helped the team set a school record for wins (12). He finished his college career with 305 receptions, 3199 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns.

Who drafted Antonio Brown?

Brown declared himself for the NFL draft in 2010. He was picked in the 6th round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was the overall pick number 195 of the draft and the second wide receiver pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers after Emmanuel Sanders. Tight end Rob Gronkowski, defensive tackle Geno Atkins, and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh are some of the notable players of the 2010 NFL Draft.

Antonio Brown’s NFL Journey

Brown has had a great career from his rookie season in 2010 through 2018. He has amassed more receptions than any other player in the league. Brown made it to Super Bowl XLV during his rookie season with the Steelers. They lost to the Green Bay Packers. In his rookie season, he finished with 16 receptions for 167 yards in 10 games.

In his second season with the Steelers, Brown started only three games but he became the first player in NFL history to have more than 1000 receiving and returning yards in the same year.

The Steelers extended his contract with a five-year deal worth $42.5 million in 2012. With stellar performances, he became the only receiver in NFL history to record five receptions and at least 50 yards in every single game of an NFL season in 2013.

Brown continued playing for the Steelers till 2018, setting numerous records in the way. In his final season with the Steelers, Brown led the league in receiving touchdowns (15). Brown amassed a total of 11,207 receiving yards for the Steelers with 74 receiving touchdowns, in the regular seasons.

Brown became dissatisfied with his role in the Steelers team and also had rifts with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers traded Brown to the Oakland Raiders in the 2019 NFL Draft. Brown missed several practice sessions with the Raiders firstly due to frostbites (due to not wearing correct equipment) and later due to him not being allowed to wear his old helmet (which was banned by the NFL due to its specifications). The Raiders released Brown before the start of the season due to his constant altercations and he demanded release after they voided the guaranteed money in his contract.

Brown agreed to a one year contract with the New England Patriots worth $15 million and a $9 million signing bonus. There were allegations of sexual misconduct going on against him at that point but he continued to practise with the Patriots. He made a debut for the Patriots in Week 2 of the 2019 NFL season. The Patriots cancelled his contract on 20th September, after Brown sent intimidating text messages to one of his accusers.

On September 22, 2019, Antonio Brown posted on Twitter that he was going to retire from the NFL but he changed his mind four days later. On July 31, 2020, Brown was suspended for the first eight weeks of the 2020 NFL season for multiple violations of the league's personal-conduct policy. He finally signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 27, 2020. He was reinstated from his suspension and activated on the team roster by November. He won the first Super Bowl of his career with the Buccaneers and also scored the third touchdown of the game after receiving a pass from Tom Brady. Brown suffered an off-season knee injury but agreed to a one-year deal with the Buccaneers to extend his term. He was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list by the Buccaneers on December 2, 2021. He was suspended by the NFL for misrepresenting his COVID-19 status.

Brown’s career with the Buccaneers ended when he took off his jersey, shoulder pads, gloves and shirt mid-game against the New York Jets in Week 17 of the 2021 season. He had played 7 games in his last season with 42 catches, 545 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. Brown claimed that the Bucs’ were engaged in a cover-up and he actually had bone fragments stuck in his ankle as per an MRI report. He is currently a free agent.

Antonio Brown’s Teams

Pittsburgh Steelers (2010-2018)

Brown was drafted by the Steelers as a round 6 pick of the 2010 NFL Draft. He achieved great honours for the Steelers and helped the team reach a Super Bowl in his first season itself. He made it to 7 Pro-Bowls as a Steelers player and led the league for receiving yards (2014, 2017) and receptions (2014, 2015). He also made it to the NFL 2010 All-Decade team along with leading the league in receiving touchdowns in his last season as a Pittsburgh Steelers player. With Brown in the team, the Steelers won 4 AFC North titles and one Conference Championship.

Oakland Raiders (2019)

His tenure with the Raiders ended before it could even start. After signing a deal that was about to make him the highest-paid receiver in the league, he missed several practices. He did not start any games for the Raiders and was released before the season even started. Prior to his release, Brown was fined $215,000 due to altercations with Raiders general manager Mike Mayock.

New England Patriots (2019)

He spent one season with the Patriots and signed a deal worth $15 million on the day he was released by the Raiders. He played only one game for the Patriots before being released on grounds of threatening a person who was accusing him of sexual misconduct.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020-2021)

Brown was signed by the Buccaneers on a one-year deal. He reached Super Bowl LV with the Buccaneers and won the first Super Bowl of his career. He played 8 regular-season games and 3 postseason games with the Buccaneers. He made one touchdown in the Super Bowl match. Brown was released by the Buccaneers in his second year with them after on-field misconduct, where he left the game while it was in progress.

Championships and Rings Won by Antonio Brown

Brown appeared in two Super Bowls in his career. He won one Super Bowl ring after winning the Super Bowl LV in 2021. Brown has also won two Conference Championships. He became an AFC Champion with the Steelers and an NFC Champion with the Buccaneers.

Antonio Brown Super Bowl Championship Rings

Antonio Brown Championship Rings

Antonio Brown’s Super Bowl Stats

Total Super Bowl Appearances: 2

Super Bowl Record: 1-1

Antonio Brown Awards and Honours

Awards

Antonio Brown Controversies

While Brown has been one of the best wide receivers in the league, his NFL career has also been filled with controversies. His contract was cancelled by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because he removed his clothes and ran off the field in a Week 17 game against the New York Jets in 2021.

Amid minor controversies in his career he was accused of thrwoing furniture from his 14th floor apartment, hitting a 22-month old child on the patio below. He has also been guilty of reckless driving on multiple counts.

In 2019 Brown was accused of sexual assault by his former trainer Britney Taylor. He was also accused of sexual assault by another woman who was a Pittsburgh based doctor. The suit by Britney Taylor was settled in 2021. Brown has also received two-year probation for being an accomplice on a battery charge on a truck driver. He also has to undergo 100 hours of community service and a 13-week anger management program along with a psychological evaluation.

Antonio Brown Net Worth

Antonio Brown’s net worth is estimated to be around $20 million. His net NFL earnings are estimated to be around $77 million. Various controversies have led to the loss of guaranteed earnings from teams like the Raiders and Patriots.

Antonio Brown Family

Antonio Brown is the son of a famous Arena Football Player, Eddie Brown. His cousin Marquise Brown plays as a wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens, since 2019. Antonio has four sons and two daughters with different women. Three of his sons and a daughter is with Chelsie Kryss and his two other children are from two other women. He is rumoured to be currently dating an Instagram influencer and professional model Cydney Moreau.