Antonio Brown targets Kraft, NFL in tweets

BY MARK DANIELS

THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL/TNS

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Antonio Brown continued to implode on Sunday morning.

Hours before 1 p.m. NFL games were set to kick off, the troubled wide receiver went off the rails on Twitter. Brown sent off a series of controversial tweets with one saying he would no longer play in the NFL and another taking a shot at Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

This year, Brown has lost close to $40 million in guaranteed money. He forfeited his chance to get $30 million guaranteed from the Oakland Raiders when he acted out and asked for his release.

Now, the Patriots are reportedly withholding his $9 million signing bonus he would’ve earned had he not been released. Brown also was due a $1 million base salary in New England.

The first tweet, Brown wrote he was quitting playing in the NFL due to him not getting his guaranteed money.

“Will not be playing in the @NFL anymore these owners can cancel deals do whatever they want at anytime we will see if the @NFLPA hold them accountable sad they can just void guarantees anytime going on 40m 2 months will see if they pay up!”

Next, the receiver, who was released by the Patriots on Friday, took aim at Kraft, who was embedded in a controversy this offseason when he faced charges of soliciting prostitution in at a spa in Jupiter.

ANOTHER ALLEGATION

In the tweet, Brown included a photo of him and Britney Taylor, who filed a civil lawsuit against the receiver alleging he raped her and sexually assaulted her twice.

The captain read, “Kraft got caught in the parlor AB speculations fired different strokes different folks clearly.”

Brown was released on Friday due to a second allegation where a female artist accused him of sexual misconduct. The Patriots let Brown go when he sent a series of intimidating text messages to her, which included photos of her children.

The Pats had a clause in Brown’s contract that said they could void the guarantees if Brown “takes any action that materially undermines the public’s respect for, or is materially critical of, the Club, Player’s teammates or the Club’s ownership, coaches, management, operations or policy then, up election of the Club.’’

It was similar in Oakland, which is why the Raiders were able to void Brown’s contract without much of a cap penalty. According to ESPN, Brown is filing a grievance to get his guaranteed money from the Patriots.

CALLED OUT OTHERS

After his first two tweets, Brown wasn’t done self-sabotaging his career. He then called out former NFL tight end Shannon Sharp, who’s been critical of the receiver, posting a headline that Sharp was once accused of sexual assault.

He did the same with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger with a caption that read “4 games for Big Ben crazy world I’m done with it.”

Finally, Brown seemed to applaud a story about Patriots fans who threatened Sports Illustrated writer Robert Klemko, who wrote the story about the female artist who Brown texted.

Had the receiver not texted his accuser on Wednesday night, he’d probably be playing for the Patriots on Sunday against the New York Jets.