NFL controversy
Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown reportedly has a long history of ripping people off
The off-the-field drama surrounding New England Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown is not going away anytime soon.
The last year of Brown's life has grown steadily more controversial, beginning with a series of locker room feuds while playing for two different franchises. That didn't reflect kindly on the All-Pro, but he now faces a much more serious accusation of sexual assault, and an explosive piece published Monday by Sports Illustrated details Brown's long of history of allegedly refusing to pay wages to his former assistants and part-time employees.
SI spoke with several people who have worked for Brown who have accused him of failing to pay them thousands of dollars. "There's something wrong with him," Michael Daniel Kolodzi, an attorney representing a client who says Brown owes him money. "He doesn't feel like he has to pay working class people."
Brown also once hosted a charity softball game in Pittsburgh when he was playing for the Steelers in 2017. At an auction during the event, Brown reportedly became an enamored with a portrait of himself and offered to pay $700 for it, far surpassing the winning bid of $450. He promised to pay for it at a later date, but allegedly still has not sent over the money more than two years after the fact.
The SI piece also sheds light on a second sexual misconduct allegation against Brown involving the artist of the aforementioned painting, whom Brown hired to paint a mural in his home. The woman told SI that while she painted, Brown appeared behind her naked save for a hand towel covering his genitals. She kept painting that day, but then lost contact with Brown, though he did pay her for her work. The artist is not pursuing sexual misconduct charges against Brown for his behavior, but she did say she was bothered by it. Read more at Sports Illustrated.