Antonio Brown: Train Wreck or Misunderstood?

It seems the only name which matters in sports right now is Antonio Brown.

First, his issues with the Raiders blasted across the news, followed by sexual allegations brought against him by his former trainer.

Are these allegations true? Does he deserve the hate he is receiving?

To be honest, I am not completely sure.

This drama with the Raiders started with Brown hopping into a cryotherapy chamber without necessary socks to protect against frostbite. As a result, Brown got severe frostbite on his feet and was unable to practice. Following the frostbite incident, Brown then refused to practice and demanded he receive his helmet from his old team, the Steelers. This went against the National Football League’s policy, but Brown did not care and still refused to practice.

This leads to the climax of the drama. While Brown was making a fuss about the helmet and cryotherapy, he was being fined by the Raiders organization.

Raiders general manager Mike Maycock stated publicly Brown needed to show where he was at mentally.

“From our perspective, it’s time for him to be all in or all out,” Maycock said.

Brown addressed Maycock on Wednesday, Sept. 4, when he began an altercation with Maycock in front of the team. Brown called Maycock racial slurs and threw a flurry of curse words at Maycock regarding the fines he received.

“[The event] was blown out of proportion,” Brown said.

Do I believe that or not? I am going to go with no. Based on the entire summer and all the ridiculous drama Brown started, it seems as if he was just looking to get dropped from the Raiders.

Just three days later, he confirmed my suspicions by going on Instagram to make a public statement asking to be dropped by the Raiders. This came after he was fined $215,000 for “conduct detrimental to the team,” and $29 million guaranteed in his contract was voided.

I think Brown deserved this. He was going out of his way to stay out of practice and cause as many problems as he could. As a college athlete, I know from experience how one bad egg can ruin an entire team’s mindset throughout the season.

Whether Brown liked where he ended up or not does not matter; that is professional sports. It is a situation many pros have to deal with, and I think it is selfish to think he deserves better treatment than any other player.

On the subject of his playing situation, I think he was being close-minded and looking for a way out, and the NFL gave it to him.

However, the new sexual allegations brought against him has me unsure of him as a player, and a person. We live in a society where women are empowered to speak up against anyone of any prestige, and while that is incredible, there will always be people who are more concerned with personal gain rather than truth. Because of this, I think it is vital we do not condemn people until both sides have told their story, and in the case of Antonio Brown, I do not think Brown has told his side of the story yet.

Twenty-eight-year-old Britney Taylor filed a civil lawsuit against Brown for three incidents where she was allegedly sexually assaulted and raped. Taylor and Brown met in college through a Christian group at Central Michigan University. Brown and Taylor stayed connected until they separated after Brown entered the draft in 2010 and Taylor transferred to Louisiana State University.

They disconnected for a few years after Brown allegedly asked Taylor for revealing photos and she refused. The lawsuit states following the disconnect, Taylor opened a gymnastics gym in Memphis, TN and in 2017, Brown reached out to Taylor via Facebook asking to catch up. This lead to Brown asking Taylor to be his trainer. Taylor agreed to train Brown, which meant Taylor would fly to Brown’s homes, but the lawsuit states, “Ms. Taylor never dated or had an interest in any romantic relationship with Brown. Their relationship, as far as Ms. Taylor believed and behaved, was that of a ‘brother-sister’ type.”

The alleged rape occurred in May 2018 after Brown and Taylor went clubbing with some friends. Taylor was staying at a hotel, but had to retrieve items from Brown’s home before going back. This is where Taylor says Brown forced himself upon her. The lawsuit claims Taylor repeatedly refused the actions, but Brown continued anyway.

This was the end of the professional relationship they shared, and Taylor was left “severely traumatized” and fighting suicidal thoughts.

While Brown may be selfish on the field, and the picture Taylor illustrates of Brown makes him out to be a monster, I still believe Brown should have a chance to tell his side. Only time will tell what the truth is, but I think the fact the NFL has him active for a game this Sunday with no real discipline taken is unheard of. Even without the lawsuit being filed, I think his actions in regards to the Raiders requires real discipline, or else other players with the same mindset as Brown are going to follow in his footsteps to get what they want.