Colour Commentary: Antonio Brown saga turns ugly

The biggest, most interesting, and now horrifying storyline in the NFL this year is without a doubt the Antonio Brown saga.

From his disgusting foot injury suffered in a cryogenic lab due to his own negligence, to his injunction appeals with the NFL over his helmet. Things couldn’t possibly get more ridiculous, right?

After being fined for missing a couple of practices and posting said fine on Instagram, Brown had a run-in with Raiders general manager Mike Mayock where Brown reportedly needed to be held back after threatening to punch his boss in the face.

Things seemed to be over for Brown in Oakland. However, he gave an emotional apology to his teammates in the days leading up to their season opener against the Broncos. He also released another video on his YouTube page of a conversation held between him and head coach Jon Gruden.

Mayock and the Raiders would then send Brown another fine of over $200,000, which voided the guaranteed money in his contract. Brown would later ask for his release by, you guessed it, an Instagram post.

He would later sign for the New England Patriots who looked poised to win another Super Bowl after the signing, as they had their most talented offence since the 2007 campaign when they went undefeated in the regular season.

But this is where it gets horrifying. A few days after the Patriots sign him, Brown had been accused of rape and sexual assault on three separate occasions by his former personal trainer, Britney Taylor.

Once the case is settled, Brown should face major disciplinary action, charged or not. However, it’ll likely be nothing too major for him. Kareem Hunt got only an eight-game suspension for kicking his girlfriend on tape. Tyreek Hill didn’t even get a slap on the wrist for punching his pregnant girlfriend in the stomach.

The NFL needs to realize that young kids all over the world are watching their product and see these athletes as role models. What kind of precedent are they setting by allowing sexual assailants, abusers and rapists represent their company?

If this happened to someone working for most companies, they would not have the luxury of going to work on Monday. I understand that Antonio Brown brings in millions of dollars in revenue on his own but where does the NFL draw the line?

Related Posts