Antonio Brown and the never-ending saga with his former Albany Empire arena football team opens a new chapter. Former Empire players are preparing to sue Brown for funds being reversed out of their accounts.
They were kicked out of the National Arena League on June 15 because of unpaid league dues that each team is required to pay monthly. The league reportedly had enough of Brown and his antics after he refused to pay a $1,000 fine for comments made about the league, according to the Times Union. In addition, Brown refused to pay the May league dues, which led to an emergency league meeting which ended with Albany Empire getting the boot.
Now, several players claim Brown owes them money that was already paid to them but reversed back out of their accounts.
Show Me the Money
According to NFL Insider Dov Kleiman, Brown paid his players and coaches on June 15 before they were kicked out. Kleiman wrote that Empire head coach Moe Leggett said that team members were paid on June 15 and June 16. A player then noticed the money was reversed from his account on June 21. The player decided to inform the members of the team’s group chat about what happened and they all noticed that their money was reversed out of their accounts as well.
Now, they are looking for a lawyer to move forward with a class-action lawsuit. Leggett says the players are still owed $500 for their final game. He also said that he made attempts to reach out to Brown, his accountant Alex Gunaris, and the Empire’s team president Alberony Davis.
Leggett expressed his frustration with Brown after the team was kicked out of the arena league, and this only adds to it.
“I’m frustrated,” Leggett said in a statement after the team was kicked out the league. “I’m frustrated. I tried to give [Brown] the benefit of the doubt. I tried to work with him. I was trying to be the peacemaker, the mediator to make sure things ran smoothly and just under the radar. But I can no longer do that.”
Turmoil
Brown took over the team in March and his tenure as owner will probably go down as the worst in the history of sports. In his short time as owner, Brown failed to pay the players in April, which caused several players and a coach to leave the organization. A player also accused Brown of sleeping with his ex-girlfriend and accused him of being crazy.
In addition, he has continued his unpredictable behavior outside of football with the personal shots at Brady on social media, being wanted by police for unpaid child support, and was sued by Jeweler Shuki International.
Former Empire wide receiver Fabian Guerra talked about joining the lawsuit despite quickly finding another landing spot with the Massachusetts Pirates.
“I’m thinking since he didn’t pay us, it’s only the right thing to do,” Guerra said Sports Illustrated. “It’s kind of like bad business by him, but I’m over here in Massachusetts and playing with a new team, so I’m not worried. It sucks it has to come down to that and now there’s going to be a lawsuit, so he just looks bad.”
He also added, “I feel like he does stuff for social media and to sell his songs. I think it’s just what he does. That’s the type of guy he is. No one trusts him anymore. I see it hard for him to get any future deals going because of how he is as a person.”
Sports Illustrated also reported that Brown is still on the hook for more than $21,000 in league assessment fees, according to the arena league’s commissioner, Chris Siegfried.
