Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick Reportedly Acted Alone in Signing Antonio Brown

After a contentious firing, reports are now emerging that New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was solely responsible for signing Antonio Brown to the team, with Ryen Russillo of The Ringer alleging the coach acted alone in signing the 31-year-old, not consulting anyone about the choice — including team owner, Robert Kraft.

"From what I've heard, Belichick just did this completely on his own," Russillo said on The Ryen Russillo Podcast via 247Sports. "When Brown was [cut by the Raiders], Drew Rosenhaus calls Bill [and says], 'Let's figure this out,' and Bill's like, 'Done.' But Belichick didn't consult anybody else and just did it."

The Patriots cut Brown after reports broke that the football player allegedly sent text messages to a woman accusing him of sexual misconduct. Shortly after details were shared regarding the reported abuse, Kraft made the decision to cut Brown from the team after just one game.

"Kraft and Belichick spoke and decided together to officially release Brown just 11 days after the Patriots signed the controversial star receiver, according to sources," Jeff Howe of The Athletic said in a report.

Right after Brown was cut by the Patriots, the team released a statement saying: "The New England Patriots are releasing Antonio Brown. We appreciate the hard work of many people over the past 11 days, but we feel that it is best to move in a different direction at this time."

Brown only played one game for the Patriots and he caught four passes for 56 yards and one touchdown in the 43-0 win over the Miami Dolphins. He agreed to sign with the Patriots right before the team's first game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he officially signed a one-year, $15 million contract the Monday after Week One game.

So what's next for Brown? Will he sign with another team this season or will he wait until next year? According to what he had to say on social media, Brown's NFL career might be over.

"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!" Brown wrote in the tweet.

We'll see if that happens, but based on the Patriots 30-14 win over the New York Jets this past Sunday, the team will be fine without Brown.