Antonio Brown 'Thinks Opposite' of Patriots Owner Robert Kraft

For anyone who cares about Patriots ex Antonio Brown's mental health, this is a hopeful note from the AFL.

Does Antonio Brown finally "get it''?

The former All-Pro wide receiver - one of the best of his generation who as his career was winding down has a brief stay with the New England Patriots - has purchased a stake in the Albany Empire of the National Arena League.

And he says the transaction has given him a new perspective on the thoughts and motivations of people like Robert Kraft, owner of the Patriots.

"As a owner I finally see now why it's important to make everyone know no one is bigger then the Team '! As a player I always thought opposite !" AB wrote on Twitter.

For anyone who cares about Brown's mental health, this is a hopeful note. His brilliance as a player throughout his 12-season NFL career was often spoiled by strange outbursts, legal problems and tantrums, most recently when he stormed off the field during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Week 17 game in 2021.

Teammates - mostly notably Tom Brady - have tried to counsel and befriend him, to no avail.

But now? Brown's father, Eddie Brown, has joined the front office of the AFL team. It so happens the elder Brown was a star wide receiver for the Albany Firebirds in the 1990s and is a member of the AFL Hall of Fame.

The Patriots said goodbye to Brown in 2019 and declined to pay him money he believed due him after is was alleged he sent threatening texts to a woman who accused him of sexual misconduct, which included pictures of her children. 

But maybe Brown, 34, is in a better place now.

"I grew up here, as a little kid watching my dad be successful and watching this building erupt," Brown said during his introductory press conference. "For me, to be in a family-oriented city like Albany, being here with my dad and my kids and just giving the community and players the opportunity to live out their dreams.''

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