Antonio Brown's NFL Controversies Cost Him His Net Worth & He Could Have Had So Much More
He was one of the world's highest paid athletes before controversies took a toll. đź’¸
Former NFL player, Antonio Brown, played for various teams, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which helped him make a lot of money through the years. However, he could have an even higher net worth if he didn't get into a massive number of controversies.
Celebrity Net Worth last reported that he was worth $20 million from his two-decade-plus career in football.
His NFL contracts amounted to $77 million -- from the Steelers to the Raiders, Patriots and Buccaneers. Forbes, in 2017, even named the player among the World's Highest Paid Athletes, at $31.9 million.
He even landed in fourth place on Dancing With The Stars in 2016 and then Facebook paid him six figures just to create content. He also had brand deals with big names, like Nike and Pepsi.
However, Brown wasn't paid in full when it came to his bumper deal with the Oakland Raiders. He was set to receive one of the best deals in the game, including a $30 million signing bonus, before several verbal altercations with the team's management, in 2019.
The bonus was forfeited as Brown made a swift transfer to the New England Patriots. More controversy followed.
A sexual misdemeanor charge, within a matter of weeks, cost him around $10 million on the account of an 'action that materially undermines the public's respect for, or is materially critical of, the Club's ownership and coaches.'
Even his final contract with the Bucs was not fully honored, after he stormed off the pitch, in January earlier this year. He accused the club's staff of forcing him to play through injury. This move is estimated to have set him short by at least another million dollars.
And this barely throws light on the other fines Brown has had to pay for his actions on the field. In 2018, he was benched and fined by the Steelers when he threw a ball at a teammate, Ben Roethlisberger.
In August 2019, he was fined $40,000 for missing the Raiders preseason training camp and $13,950 for not participating in the team walk-through.
With football now behind him, Brown is going full force with his music career and was recently spotted rapping at the Miami festival, Rolling Loud. It garnered a mixed response and the jury is still out on his new profession. His performance though went viral for a dance move.
His music earnings have not yet been accounted for in his net worth total, but at least he won't have to worry about violating league rules in this new chapter.