Antonio Brown's Albany Empire franchise kicked out of National Arena League

The National Arena League has kicked the franchise that Antonio Brown owns out of the league. The Albany Empire has had its membership revoked by the NAL because it claims Brown didn’t pay a required league fee or a fine he received after recent public comments.

“After exhausting all avenues, the NAL board of owners have decided unanimously to terminate the membership agreement of the Albany Empire,” the league said in a release. “The decision was reached after an emergency conference call of the members in good standing to discuss the Empire’s failure to pay their league-mandated and overdue assessments.”

The league says each team is responsible for paying for one-seventh of the league’s operating budget via monthly assessments. As reported by ESPN.com, “The league said Brown made the April payment but didn’t pay the May 15 installment or a $1,000 fine for conduct detrimental to the league. Brown also challenged the April payment, which was credited back to him.

Breaking News:
The National Arena League has officially terminated the Albany Empire franchise. As of today they will no longer be a Member of the NAL. See full article: https://t.co/SB44bBB3tx pic.twitter.com/KGapEanIh6

— NationalArenaLeague (@NALFootball) June 15, 2023

The NAL said the team accountant informed officials ‘that it didn’t seem like Mr. Brown was going to pay the assessment or fine,’ leading to the emergency conference call.

The membership gave the Empire until noon Thursday to make the payment. When they didn’t pay, the NAL canceled the team’s Saturday home game against the Jacksonville Sharks, and it will adjust the rest of the league’s 2023 regular-season schedule without the Albany squad.”

Since Brown bought into the Empire in March, it’s been one chaotic news event after another. There were disputes over how much ownership Brown really had, multiple firings of coaches, dismissals of quarterbacks, allegations of missed or late payments to players, run-ins with police at the team hotel in Albany, a confrontation between Brown and a security guard at the home arena and failed attempts to come back as a player.

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As recently as Wednesday, Brown held a comical media session in which he dodged questions about whether or not he was returning to play this Saturday. He also insulted former Empire players, mocked the finances of other league owners and threatened to move the Empire to the Arena Football League.

That league won’t resume play until February 2024. But it’s hard to believe they’ll want this circus anywhere near their league if A.B. is still in charge.

According to News 10 in Albany, MVP Arena is saying, “All season and individual ticket holders will be refunded for the remaining three home games.”

So far, Brown hasn’t issued any clear statement through his preferred means of communication, social media. Thus far, all he has posted is one tweet that reads “Major league not minors.”

Major league not minors

— AB (@AB84) June 15, 2023

Let’s be honest. The people who are really to blame for all of this are those who run the league itself. They should’ve blocked the sale of the team to Brown in the first place. Nothing good was ever going to come of it. One month of disposable publicity isn’t worth having to excommunicate a franchise that just won the league’s last two championships.

If no one saw this coming with Mr. Big Chest in charge, that’s only because they chose to avoid opening their eyes.

All empires must fall. But the Albany Empire shouldn’t have fallen in the span of three months.

If you get in business with Antonio Brown, though, it’s bound to happen sooner, not later.