GLENDALE, ARIZONA – AUGUST 15: Wide receiver Antonio Brown #84 of the Oakland Raiders warms up before the NFL preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on August 15, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
At this point, no NFL team should even consider signing Antonio Brown, who has been accused of rape, yet the wide receiver is apparently looking forward to his next opportunity.
Although the New England Patriots inexplicably played Antonio Brown in Week 2 against the tanking Miami Dolphins amidst rape and sexual assault accusations, they decided to release him on Friday. This came after Sports Illustrated reported that Brown threatened one of the accusers who spoke to SI in an earlier report.
In total, Brown lasted just 11 days with the Patriots, whose decision to move on from the wide receiver was both necessary and unsurprising.
However, Brown is still hopeful that he has a place in the NFL. His agent Drew Rosenhaus released a statement noting that Brown is looking forward to his next opportunity in the NFL and hopes to find a new organization soon.
Any team that signs a player under investigation for multiple counts of sexual misconduct is dysfunctional and worthy of scorn. Brown is most likely headed for the commissioner’s exempt list anyway, which would preclude any team from signing him, but it is still striking for him and his agent to believe that playing in the NFL this season should be the first of his concerns.
As talented as Brown is, it would be a huge mistake for any team to sign a player who is being investigated for rape. That much is clear. Brown likely has no future in the NFL, even if he seems confident that someone will sacrifice their morals by taking a flier on the prolific receiver.
If the Patriots decided to cut Brown after playing him against Miami, then it’s unlikely anyone else signs him. The Patriots are known as a win-at-all-costs organization, and even they have seen enough with Brown to know that it’s just not worth it. Other teams will probably take the same view of a player who may never play in the NFL again.