Albany Empire Players Intend to Sue Antonio Brown, per Report

The former NFL wide receiver was part of a trust that owned the National Arena League team.

Former NFL star Antonio Brown reportedly faces the threat of a lawsuit by employees of the now-expelled Albany Empire indoor football team that he partially owned, after players’ and coaches’ final paychecks were rescinded, according to the Albany Times Union.

Former Empire head coach Moe Leggett said players and coaches were paid on June 15 and June 16, but by June 21, the money had been taken back out of their bank accounts. The players are still owed $500 each for the team’s final game, Leggett said.

The coach apparently attempted to discuss the issue with Brown, who is a member of the trust that owned the Empire, along with Brown’s accountant Alex Gunaris and Empire president Alberony Denis, but none of the parties returned his calls.

“I’m frustrated,” Leggett told the Times Union. “I’m frustrated. I tried to give [Brown] the benefit of the doubt. I tried to work with him. I was trying to be the peacemaker, the mediator to make sure things ran smoothly and just under the radar. But I can no longer do that.”

That said, Leggett said he’s looking for a lawyer to file suit against Brown and the trust.

This isn’t the only financial controversy Brown is involved in regarding the Empire. The team itself was expelled from the National Arena League due to the team not paying its league assessments. In a press release, the NAL said it also fined Brown $1,000 for conduct detrimental to the league, but Brown refused to pay the fine.