Antonio Brown files for bankruptcy, owes $2.93 million to 8 creditors

Mar 26, 2022; Miami, Florida, USA; Former NFL player Antonio Brown gestures to the fans while standing in from t of former professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. during the second half between the Miami Heat and the Brooklyn Nets at FTX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
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Retired NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday, court records show. Brown, 35, owes nearly $3 million to eight creditors, according to the records, which were filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of Florida on Monday.

Brown, who made more than $80 million in a 12-year NFL career, according to Spotrac, listed his estimated assets as $50,000 or less.

The largest claim is a $1.2 million court judgment owed to Anton Tumanov, a moving truck driver who sued Brown, alleging assault and battery related to a January 2020 incident. Brown failed to attend any of the hearings in that case. Other debts in the filing include money owed through three other court judgments. The eight claims amount to $2,931,158.51.

CTESPN Network, Brown’s media company, addressed the bankruptcy filing in a post on X on Monday.

“NFL legend Antonio Brown has filed bankruptcy today(.) He will be a first ballot hall of famer in 2027. He will be releasing new music this summer,” the social media post said.

Brown played 12 seasons in the NFL after being selected in the sixth round of the 2010 draft. A four-time All-Pro, he spent the majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, played one game with the New England Patriots in 2019 and had a two-year stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brown won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay in 2020.

The bankruptcy filing continues a tumultuous late- and post-NFL career stretch for Brown. In 2020, the NFL suspended him for eight games for multiple violations of the league’s personal conduct policy, following the moving truck dispute and accusations he sent threatening texts to a woman who accused him of sexual misconduct.

In 2021, Brown settled a lawsuit with a former trainer who accused him of sexual assault. Brown also served a three-game suspension in 2021 for submitting a fake COVID-19 vaccination card to the Buccaneers. Brown’s tenure with Tampa Bay ended in January 2022 after a mid-game outburst that included Brown pulling off his uniform and shoulder pads on the field before suddenly exiting the game.

After leaving the NFL, Brown became the majority owner of the Albany Empire, a National Arena League team, in April 2023. Two months later, the NAL terminated the team’s league membership because of a “failure to pay their league mandated and overdue assessments,” per an NAL statement. The NAL said Brown “was also fined $1,000 for Conduct Detrimental to the League,” but he refused to pay the fee.

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