Friday morning, Antonio Brown turned heads on social media with an early morning back-and-forth with Twitter users. He responded to multiple comments, both positive and negative while discussing his recent free time. However, the most surprising moment for many came when he revealed the alleged true reason for his release from the New England Patriots.
According to Brown, he was actually sent packing from Bill Belichick’s team due to the amount of money owed, rather than intimidating texts that he allegedly sent to one of his accusers. Specifically, Brown said that he and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, actually had a conversation prior to his release about how the Patriots did not want to pay him $5 million in bonus money.
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Brown may have wanted to add further thoughts to this discussion and point out what he believed to be a transgression on the Patriots’ part, but this plan did not work out as expected. Instead, the multitude of responses were all in reference to how his alleged cell phone use was actually the issue that led to his release.
Additionally, there were many that simply viewed Brown’s post on Twitter as further evidence that he isn’t quite in touch with reality. Many people believe that he is actually kind of delusional.
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The price tag they were going to have to pay for someone who wasnt going to be on the field.
โ Chris Henry๐ (@Chris_Henry94) October 25, 2019
There are some football fans that see one side of Brown’s argument. It is entirely possible that the Patriots simply did not want to pay the money that was included in his contract. However, the reasons they included may not have been the same as what was in Brown’s argument.ย
Specifically, there was โ and still is โ a chance that the NFL may place Brown on the commissioner’s exempt list. If so, he would be unable to take part in practices or play in games. However, the Patriots would still have to pay his salary, so they would be paying for a player that they could not use.ย
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But they knew the price tag when they signed you… If it was just the price tag, don’t you think they wouldn’t have signed the deal in the first place?
โ Brandon Deneault (@Bee_Dee10) October 25, 2019
Whether or not the money played a factor in Brown’s release from the Patriots, there are many fans that want him to consider something. When Bill Belichick brought the veteran receiver to town, he did so expecting him to be on the roster for the entire season. For many fans, this means that the Patriots were completely willing to pay every penny that was included in the contract.ย
Yes, Belichick is viewed as a coach that is miles ahead of every other in terms of planning, but would he really be willing to bring Brown to the team on a contract but later decide to avoid paying him? Doing so may not provide a competitive advantage.ย
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Personal Accountability and Self Awareness
โ Timothy S. Smith (@LordSmitteous) October 25, 2019
AB: pic.twitter.com/yDdX9rO4Tu
One of the dominating storylines every time Antonio Brown sends out a tweet is that many football fans believe he doesn’t want to take responsibility for his own actions. Whether he is dodging blame or simply believes that he is innocent in all matters, they think that Brown is incapable of accepting his role in certain events.ย
This release from the Patriots is the latest example. There were many that can’t believe he is blaming the money instead of the alleged texts that he sent to the accuser.ย
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Not the price tag. Definitely not. They make money work for talent. They have no patience for distractions.
โ Pinecone PhD (@akaPinecone) October 25, 2019
In the history of the New England Patriots, they have constantly brought players into the fold in order to gain a competitive advantage and win the Super Bowl. Some players have cost more money than others, but they still contributed when called upon.ย
For many fans of the Patriots, this history only shows that Brown’s point is incorrect. He is a top talent at his position, so it would seem likely that New England would do what was necessary to keep him on the roster. In this case, they actually believed that the distractions of text messages and legal issues were the true reason for his release.ย
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Come on man. Bill rushed to sign you. It was the twitter fingers.
โ xbam850x (@xbam850x) October 25, 2019
Was the money the reason for Brown’s release, or was there another factor in play? According to the timeline of his release from the Oakland Raiders, as well as the haste displayed by the Patriots, the fans believe that the team truly wanted him on the roster.ย
For context, Brown was released by the Raiders on Saturday morning, but he had a new deal with Patriots shortly after his release officially went through the league’s transaction wire. There was no time wasted in bringing him to town.ย
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It was the phone. All you had to do was ignore the noise and do your job, but you couldnโt do it.
โ Andy Lemieux (@LemieuxAndy) October 25, 2019
Was Antonio Brown’s release based on the text messages, or was it owed to the bonus money that was set to be paid? Brown certainly has his thoughts on the matter, but many fans disagree. For example, there are many that believe the Patriots cut ties with Brown and highlighted what they believe to be a character flaw.
As one fan explained, Brown simply had to ignore his critics and focus on winning games. However, he could not do this and opted to send the alleged texts.ย
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They traded a 2nd for Sanu. I really donโt think it was a salary issue. Might of been the harassment of your possible RAPE victim ๐คท๐ปโโ๏ธ
โ Luke Geisbrecht (@LukeyG4) October 25, 2019
Is money an issue for the Patriots, or did they release Brown based on the alleged text messages and some other issues? Well, there are certainly some fans that believe the Patriots already provided an argument to his point with a recent trade.ย
Earlier in the week, the Patriots traded a second-round pick for veteran receiver Mohamed Sanu. Considering that he is 30 years old, the cost of the trade was surprising to many. However, some football fans believe that it simply proves that the Patriots aren’t concerned about the cost of doing business.ย ย