Now, Brown has just been released by the New England Patriots, obviously a clear sign that they were tired of all the drama surrounding him and the latest bit of news. In the past week and a half, Brown has faced multiple allegations, including a former trainer accusing him of rape, sexual harassment and sexual assault in a civil lawsuit. Another accusation was back in 2017 when an artist accused Brown of not just making an unwanted sexual advance, but also threatening her in a group text chain this week. It's this last accusation that probably forced the Patriots to finally concede that Brown was no longer worth the distraction. I couldn't agree more because the last one is awful to hear and if true, they were justified.
Now these are just accusations so we don't know exactly how this will all play out in court or in the lawsuit, but the Patriots are finally understanding the situation that Brown has put himself into and they finally said enough. They have thrown him out the door and had to put out a press release, saying it was time to go in a different direction. Better late than never, I guess.
Christine Brennan is absolutely right on one thing: Antonio Brown can no longer get away with this, and he still believes he can. This is not consulting social media advisors to figure out a way to get released from this team. This is full-blown mental breakdown, and it may get worse before it gets better. He's a guy who most likely cannot co-exist in a rapidly changing world where the #MeToo is now everywhere. I don't blame his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, and I don't blame the NFL for any of this. This is all on Antonio Brown and this may be a guy who may not be able to learn his lesson.
Antonio Brown is no doubt a tremendous talent, but he's not worth it if he's constantly angry or threatening people or doing whatever to cause a racket. This is not what works in America anymore. You can't get away with it, no matter what. The culture is changing so rapidly and when you change with the rapid culture, you succeed better. Brown is not going to be better in the long run if he doesn't do a better job of understanding that.
The Patriots did the right thing, even if it took them a while to get there. Whether or not teams listen, we will learn soon enough. But I hope the message is clear to anyone out there: You can't get away with this stuff anymore and you must change with the rapid culture. Antonio Brown is a talent but if he doesn't change, he won't be able to use it. My only problem with it is he may never learn that and eventually it may be too late.
