Antonio Brown’s arena football team bounced from league, game against Jacksonville Sharks canceled

ATLANTA — The Albany Empire, a team owned by former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown, has been kicked out of the National Arena League just days before the team was set to play the Jacksonville Sharks.

The NAL announced Thursday that the team did not pay its monthly assessments toward the league’s operating budget.

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Also, the NAL said Brown “was also fined $1,000 for Conduct Detrimental to the League for his recent public comments. Mr. Brown refused to pay that fine.”

Brown’s account told the league that it didn’t seem like Brown was going to pay the team’s May assessment or the fine.

The Empire was set to play the Jacksonville Sharks in Albany on Saturday, but that game has been canceled.

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The Sharks said on its Facebook page that a previously scheduled watch party at Bravoz Entertainment Center was also canceled.

The next game for the Sharks is Monday, June 26 at 7 p.m. at home at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena against the Carolina Cobras. The Sharks said in a statement on Friday that the team’s record will remain 6-2 until that game.

The Sharks also said that the NAL is working on a revised schedule, but the Sharks’ remaining number of home games will not be affected.

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“While we are saddened by the actions the league had to take, we will make sure that our fans have the same number of home games as before. We are in the process of seeing what options we have to make that happen,” Sharks Ticketing Manager David Diana said in the statement.

Brown, 34, played 12 NFL seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brown hasn’t played in the NFL since since he stripped off his gear and ran off the field during a Buccaneers game against the New York Jets at the end of the 2021 season.

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