Correction: Suspension begins Week 1 regardless. So a team is free to sign him after their 8th game and he could play that next week. https://t.co/qZvWsBXhO5
— robertklemko (@RobertKlemko) July 31, 2020
As was expected for several months now, embattled free agent wide receiver Antonio Brown has been officially suspended by the NFL.
First reported by the Washington Post’s Robert Klemko, the league handed Brown a lofty eight-game suspension due to violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Brown had recently pleaded no contest to battery charges against a truck driver in Florida, which landed him a lengthy probation sentence.
Now the league has weighed in with its own judgment on the matter.
Unfortunately for Brown, this may not be the end of discipline from the NFL. The legal buck doesn’t stop with the battery charges, as Brown still faces a sexual misconduct lawsuit.
Antonio Brown's next hearing in the civil suit — related to sexual harassment and sexual assault allegations levied by his former trainer — is scheduled for Sept. 15, shortly after Week 1. https://t.co/FqHeR1YZdo
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 31, 2020
This very well could be the final nail in the coffin of what was a Hall of Fame-caliber career for Brown. A free agent since last September, Brown was linked to Seattle as a potential landing spot and was even seen working out with quarterback Russell Wilson. Now that he is suspended, any chatter about him coming to Seattle will likely be put to bed for good.
With his legal issues, volatile personality, and now a suspension that will likely last at least half the 2020 season, Brown is far too toxic for any team to sign. If he is signed, it will be by a desperate team late in the year.
Of course, none of this might even matter for Brown as he apparently retired from the league . . . for a second time. Although, given his recent track record, it’s hard to say for certain if he will want to stay that way.
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