Antonio Brown’s recent foray into politics isn’t going much better than his tarnished NFL career or his disastrous stint as the owner of a National Arena League football team.
After stumping for Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump in Western, Pennsylvania, the former Pittsburgh Steelers star has unleashed a homophobic online attack against Kamala Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz.
In a sophomoric post on X, Brown shared a picture of New Orleans Saints linebacker Willie Gay Jr. standing alongside teammate Anfernee Orji with the names on the backs of their jerseys facing the camera. Presumably Brown was trying to create the image of a ‘gay orgy’ in the minds of his followers while referencing the Vice-Presidential candidate in his caption.
‘Tim Walz (sic) favorite NFL players,’ read the post from Brown’s account.
Typically, when a political figure engages in a homophobic attack, they become the subject of outrage.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers players Antonio Brown (L) and Le’Veon Bell (R) leave the stage after Brown spoke in support of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump
Conservatives have attacked Walz over unsubstantiated allegations of homosexuality
In a sophomoric post on X, Brown shared a picture of New Orleans Saints linebacker Willie Gay Jr. standing alongside teammate Anfernee Orji with their backs facing the camera
Of course, Brown has only recently dipped his toe into the political waters, so his army of followers was less outraged and more supportive of the post.
‘AB IS UNSTOPPABLE,’ one fan wrote on X.
‘I hate it!’ another added. ‘But damn this is funny!’
Truthfully, among the 500 replies Brown’s post elicited, nearly all seemed to approve of his baseless, homophobic attack on Walz.
‘Well done sir,’ one fan wrote, while another added: ‘Absolute gold.’
One enthusiastic supporter suggested Trump should hire Brown if the real estate mogul beats Harris next week: ‘AB for Press Secretary.’
Brown’s army of followers was less outraged and more supportive of the post
Brown’s path from the Steelers to an NFL outcast began in 2018, when he allegedly skipped several practices and began to get into arguments with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Ultimately Brown forced a trade to the Oakland Raiders, who signed him to a three-year $54 million extension, only to void much of the compensation amid a series of internal disagreements with coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock.
Brown was released by the Raiders before ever playing a game in Oakland and soon signed with the New England Patriots in September of 2019.
But the drama for Brown was far from over.
A woman who had worked for Brown as a personal trainer sued him for sexual assault and the Patriots released him after only a few weeks as other allegations of sexual misconduct began to surface.
He ultimately settled with the trainer as well as the family of a child who was hurt in 2019 when Brown threw furniture from the balcony of his Florida apartment.
Despite the receiver’s behavior, Tom Brady helped to convince the Buccaneers to bring Brown into the fold in 2020 and the pair would ultimately win a Super Bowl together. But the good times couldn’t last, and after a sideline spat with coaches the following season, Brown famously discarded his uniform on the sidelines of MetLife Stadium and walked out on his NFL career in the middle of a game against the Jets.
Since then, he’s been accused of exposing himself to a woman at a hotel in Dubai, arrested on accusations of domestic violence, and has faced numerous allegations of failing to pay child support.
Antonio Brown speaks during a campaign rally for Republican candidate Donald Trump
Instead of liberal outrage, Brown was commended on X for suggesting that Walz is gay
He even briefly owned the Albany Empire of the National Arena League, only to have the league terminate his franchise agreement due to his failure to pay fines and dues.
And in May, Brown filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy with $2.93 million owed to eight creditors. One major issue for Brown, according to the filing, is $1.2 million in debt from his settlement with the former personal trainer who accused him of sexual assault.
Somehow, despite reportedly earning more than $80 million over a dozen NFL seasons, Brown claims to have less than $50,000 in assets.
Now Brown has found new life as a Trump supporter, while the former President claims to be unaware of the sexual assault allegations that the retired receiver paid to settle.
‘I don’t know anything about the allegations,’ Trump told a reporter last week. ‘I don’t know anything about it. I know he’s a hell of a football player.’
