Antonio Brown Asks Cam Newton To Join Arena Football Team

Things aren’t going great for Antonio Brown in regard to his ownership of the Albany Empire, a team in the National Arena Football League. After taking over ownership in April, the back-to-back defending champions currently sit at 1-3 in the standings. Furthermore, Brown has reportedly missed multiple payment deadlines for players and staff. This was enough for the head coach to quit. That is even if Brown is the owner of the team, which we will discuss later.

Things have gotten bad enough in upstate New York that Brown is reportedly preparing to suit up for the team himself. The current leading receiver on the Empire is Nikolas Brassell, who has 151 yards and 2 touchdowns through four games. But he might not be the only former NFL star joining the team.

Brown Asks Newton To Join “In Some Capacity”

ATLANTA, GA – FEBRUARY 03: Antonio Brown attends Friday’s at Red Martini Restaurant and Lounge on February 3, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage)

Antonio Brown WNYT‘s Rodger Wyland that he had spoken with former NFL quarterback Cam Newton about joining the team “in some capacity”. However, Brown did not elaborate, meaning that it is unknown if the move would be as a player, owner, or even coach. As “owner” is trickier than it sounds, let’s start with the player possibility. While a major stretch, especially with Newton eager to rejoin the NFL, maybe this is where Newton’s next step is. Arena football doesn’t have a traditional QB position, but Newton’s speed could see him take the field as a receiver or rusher.

However, even the more likely prospect of an ownership role is unlikely. Despite claiming he owns the team, investigations have discovered that Brown has no actual control over the Empire. Abigal Rubel of The Times Union found that a “foreign national” named Antonio El-Allah is the actual owner and Brown is simply a representative of El-Allah’s ownership trust. Furthermore, Rubel’s investigation uncovered a bizarre web of shell corporations and layers of ownership both linked to Brown and other entities. Therefore, it’s unclear how Newton would become involved, or who he would even be involved with. When asked directly who El-Allah was, Brown simply told Rubel “that’s a good question”. What do you think of the situation? Let us know in the comments.

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Antonio Brown Considers Suiting Up For Arena League Team

In April 2023, former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown announced that he was stepping into the world of sports ownership. His avenue of choice was the National Arena Football League, where he assumed 95% ownership of the Albany Empire. However it has not been happy takeover. In the words of former head coach, Damon Ware, “It became all about him, not the football team,” Ware said. “We built a wonderful organization over three years — he came in and killed it.”

However, despite being the back-to-back defending champions, the Empire have struggled this season. After blowing out the Orlando Predators 70-33 in their first game of the season, they have dropped the next three. This has come amongst allegations that Brown has missed multiple payments, with players and staff supposed to be paid on a weekly schedule. Now, Brown is considering another course of action for the team.

Brown To Play Arena Football

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JUNE 19: Professional football player Antonio Brown performs with GloUpJake at the Summer Smash Festival at Douglass Park on June 19, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Barry Brecheisen/WireImage)

According to a representative for Brown, the former All-Pro wideout will be ready to play as early as May 27, when the Empire hosts the Fayetteville Mustangs. “He wants his team to win and give the community a good show,” the rep tells us. “But, we will see.” However, TMZ confirmed with the NAFL League Office that Brown had not yet submitted a player contract. The current leading receiver on the Empire is Nikolas Brassell, who has 151 yards and 2 touchdowns through four games.

Brown last played in the NFL in 2021, concluding a tumultuous stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers via a memorable exit from a game against the Jets. Before he began to run into numerous off-field issues around 2020, Brown was an elite receiver. A seven-time Pro Bowler and four All-Pro, Brown racked up 12,291 receiving yards and 83 receiving touchdowns during his career. This is a developing story and you’ll find any updates here on HotNewHipHop. Do you want to see Brown back on the field? Let us know in the comments.

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