CALABASAS, Calif. — The fraternity of NFL receivers is an interesting one. It’s a group of hyper-competitive guys who are all trying to set themselves apart from the pack, but there is still time to reflect on those whose stars have fallen for all kinds of reasons, whether self-inflicted or not.
Antonio Brown’s situation, self-inflicted as it is, was certainly on the minds of Los Angeles Rams receiver Brandin Cooks and Dallas Cowboys receiver (and soon-to-be free agent) Randall Cobb as they started their offseason work at Travelle Gaines’ Athletic Gaines facility near Los Angeles this week. Brown hasn’t played in the NFL since he was released by the Patriots following Week 2 of this past season, following accusations of sexual assault and rape by Britney Taylor, a gymnast he met while they were attending Central Michigan University who he later hired as his trainer.
Another woman accused Brown of sexual misconduct in a story published by Sports Illustrated. SI followed that story by reporting on Sept. 19 that the woman said Brown has been sending her intimidating text messages since the allegations surfaced.
Then in January, Brown was arrested and charged with felony burglary with battery, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and criminal mischief stemming from an incident with a moving truck driver in Hollywood, Florida, and he verbally abused members of the Hollywood Police Department after they responded to a separate domestic disturbance at his home.
Brown had four catches for 56 yards and one touchdown in his lone game as a Patriot, a rout of the Miami Dolphins.
Prior to signing with New England, Brown had signed a mega-contract with the Oakland Raiders but was released after a series of conflicts with the team and management.
In a January interview with ESPN’s Josina Anderson, Brown said that he had been seen as the “cancer of the NFL” and was perceived as a “target.” It’s disturbing enough stuff to wonder more about Brown’s mental stability than his ability to catch footballs.
“I think I owe the whole NFL an apology and my past behavior,” Brown concluded. “I think I could have done a lot of things better.”
“I’m going to stay out of that,” Cooks said of the personal issues. “But the one thing I will say is that he’s an unbelievable athlete and a special talent. I spent a week with him a couple years ago, and his work ethic is second to none. I truly pray that he gets another shot in the NFL, because he’s too talented not to be on a team. I love everything about that guy from the time I spent with him, and I continue to pray for him, because he means a lot to me.”
I posited to Cooks that, at his peak, Brown was the best route-runner of his era, and Cooks readily agreed.
“No question,” Cooks said. “You ain’t even got to say that twice.”
Not that any of this matters now.
Cobb doesn’t know Brown as Cooks does, but his sentiment veered more toward personal issues.
“The only thoughts I have are that I hope he’s able to find the right people around him,” Cobb said. “I don’t know his situation, and I don’t know him personally, but I just hope for his well-being. That’s the only thing I care about. Football is … this life is a lot bigger than football. I hope that he’s able to take care of himself.”
Touchdown Wire editor Doug Farrar previously covered football for Yahoo! Sports, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report, the Washington Post, and Football Outsiders. His first book, “The Genius of Desperation,” a schematic history of professional football, was published by Triumph Books in 2018 and won the Professional Football Researchers Association’s Nelson Ross Award for “Outstanding recent achievement in pro football research and historiography.”