Wide receiver Antonio Brown has not been a member of the New England Patriots since he was released on Sept. 20. That hasn’t changed his mindset, however, considering he still plans on playing in the NFL once again. In fact, he sent a message to the Patriots Wednesday, claiming how the team might as well play him.
According to Pro Football Talk, this message came during a live stream on Instagram for Brown’s fans. The 31-year-old made it very clear that he wants to keep playing in the league and is willing to return to the Patriots.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“If you guys follow the Patriots, tell them to call me,” Brown said. “They still gotta pay me so might as well let me earn it.” This comment was in reference to the grievances that he filed against the Patriots and the Raiders last week.
.@AB84 Antonio Brown: “If you guys follow the Patriots, tell them to call me, they still gotta pay me so might as well let me earn it.” pic.twitter.com/w1xxr8brwv
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 9, 2019
“Brown’s grievance includes a challenge of the Raiders’ discipline, which resulted in roughly $215,000 in fines, “NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported last week. “He’s also seeking a week of salary from when he requested to be released from Oakland — $860,294. He’s looking for payment of the guarantees for 2019 and 2020 — $29 million-plus his signing bonus of $1 million, which was divided into two workout bonuses.
“From the Patriots, Brown filed to receive his unpaid Week 1 salary of $64,062 and the rest of the $1.025 million total that was his guaranteed base salary. He’s seeking the $9 million signing bonus that was never paid, too, sources say. Brown also filed for breach of contract.”
Interestingly enough, this comment appears to be a slight change from those previously made by Brown. On the Sunday following his release, Brown sent out multiple tweets, calling out Patriots owner Robert Kraft for his legal issues, as well as Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe. In addition, Brown declared that he was done with the NFL due to the owners being able to void guaranteed money.
While this post on Twitter made it appear Brown was essentially done playing professional football, he wants to make it clear this is not an option. He plans on making his return to the field and even said during his live stream that this absence is just a rest between sets.
Brown fully anticipates getting paid after filing grievances, and he wants to put his return to the field on full display by donning a Patriots’ uniform. Whether this happens remains to be seen, but Brown has little doubt about his future prospects.
