Albany Empire coaches and players are considering filing a class action lawsuit against owner and former NFL player Antonio Brown after he said he withdrew paychecks from their bank accounts after their last game, according to the Albany Times Union.
Empire coach Moe Leggett said he and the players were paid for days after their last game against the Orlando Predators, as scheduled. But less than a week later, they realized the paychecks had been canceled and withdrawn from their respective bank accounts.
It’s unclear how many Empire employees and players would have had their paychecks canceled, or what the amounts were. Leggett said he tried repeatedly to reach Brown, his accountant and the team president, but received no response.
“I’m frustrated,” Leggett told The Times Union. “I tried to give [Brown] benefit of the doubt. I tried to work with him. I was trying to be the peacemaker, the mediator to make sure everything went smoothly and just under the radar. But I can’t do that anymore.
This alleged issue is just the latest team for Brown to face in the National Arena League. The NAL terminated the franchise and kicked it out of the league earlier this month after it said Brown failed to make required payments to the league’s operating budget.
Brown, the league said, purchased the team and made the required upfront payment in April. He failed to pay in May and later disputed the April payment, which the league said was refunded to him. The league also said Brown did not pay a $1,000 fine for the public comments, but it’s unclear which comments NAL was specifically referring to. Brown reportedly owed the league $21,000.
Leggett said he was looking for an attorney to file his lawsuit, and several players told the Times Union they would gladly join.
“I feel like that was his plan all along,” former Empire wide receiver Fabian Guerra told The Times Union. “I feel like he does stuff for social media and to sell his songs. I think that’s just what he does. That’s the kind of guy he is. don’t trust him. I see that it is difficult for him to conclude future transactions because of his personality.
Brown, 34, played in the NFL for 12 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Once one of the league’s top receivers in its heyday, Brown’s career quickly went downhill. He hasn’t played since taking off his kit and running off the field in the middle of a Buccaneers game at the end of the 2021 season. He also faced assault and battery charges and burglary, as well as multiple allegations of rape and sexual misconduct.