Antonio Brown has said he is quitting the NFL and has taken extraordinary shots at other figures in the league.
The New England Patriots released the embattled wide receiver on Friday after a week in which a woman accused him of sexual misconduct. A different woman, one of his former physical trainers, accused of him of rape in a lawsuit earlier this month. He played just once for the Patriots following a tumultuous offseason that culminated with his release from the Oakland Raiders without having played a single game for the team.
Will not be playing in the @NFL anymore these owners can cancel deals do whatever they want at anytime we will see if the @NFLPA hold them accountable sad they can just void guarantees anytime going on 40m 2 months will see if they pay up !
— AB (@AB84) September 22, 2019
The 31-year-old wrote a series of posts on Twitter on Sunday morning. The first announced his retirement and appeared to reference the money he believes he is owed by the Raiders and Patriots. ESPN reported that both teams rescinded money in his contract when they released him. “Will not be playing in the @NFL anymore these owners can cancel deals do whatever they want at anytime we will see if the @NFLPA hold them accountable sad they can just void guarantees anytime going on 40m 2 months will see if they pay up!” he wrote.
Brown then mounted attacks on other figures in the NFL, starting with the New England Patriots owner, Robert Kraft. “Kraft got caught in the parlor AB speculations fired different strokes different folks clearly,” he wrote. Kraft was one of hundreds of people charged in February after a prostitution sting at a Florida massage parlor. The 78-year-old businessman has pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor charges of soliciting sex and requested a jury trial in March.
Brown’s next target was his former teammate, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The two formed one of the most formidable offensive duos in the league for years but fell out when Brown left the Steelers earlier this year. Brown tweeted a screenshot regarding sexual assault allegations against Roethlisberger in 2010. Roethlisberger was never charged over the allegations but the NFL suspended him for four games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. “4 games for Big Ben crazy world I’m done with it,” wrote Brown.
Brown also tweeted a link to a story detailing how Patriots fans had threatened a journalist who had revealed the second misconduct allegation. “System working effectively,” Brown wrote in the tweet.
This is the the second time in the last few months that Brown has said he is quitting the NFL. In August, he threatened to end his career after the league outlawed his favorite helmet.
The NFL is currently investigating the allegations against Brown. In a statement on Friday the league said that the inquiry is “ongoing and will be pursued vigorously and expeditiously.”
