Getty Former Pittsburgh Steeler WR Antonio Brown.
Antonio Brown captivated Pittsburgh Steelers fans as one of the NFL’s best receivers for nine seasons with the franchise. His 2019 divorce from the Steelers came with its fair share of controversy, which continues to carry over to the present day.
Brown was arrested Sunday, October 15, in Dania Beach, Florida, on charges of unpaid child support, according to Local 10 News, citing jail records from the Broward County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office.
Brown was later released on $15,000 bond, according to the station. According to TMZ, Wiltrice Jackson said Brown, 35, owes nearly $31,000 toward the care of their daughter, Antanyiah, who was born in 2008.
“I do want him arrested,” Jackson told TMZ. “Because, right now, he’s making a mockery out of the judge, out of everything, because he feels like he’s untouchable.”
Local 10 News reported a judge had issued a warrant for Brown’s arrest in August, and he was taken into custody outside his home in Dania Beach, a suburb just south of Fort Lauderdale.
Antonio Brown Continually Tied to Controversy
Brown first found himself on the wrong side of media headlines when he posted a video of the team locker room after the Steelers’ 18-16 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC divisional round back in 2017.
Posting video of private locker room moments immediately before and after games was a violation of league policy, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
But Brown’s superb play — he led the NFL in receiving touchdowns the following season — allowed him to transcend the incident, but the leniency afforded him by the team did not last.
A rift between Brown and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin spelled the beginning of the end for Brown in Pittsburgh. Brown missed team meetings and was deactivated for the Steelers’ final game of the 2018 campaign. He was traded to Oakland Raiders in March 2019. The Raiders cut him in September of that year, and he played one game for the New England Patriots in 2019. The Patriots then released him amid allegations of sexual assault, according to NFL.com.
When Brown found his way back onto an NFL roster with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, it became clear that the beef between him and coaches was a problem for which he appeared culpable.
He and Bruce Arians butted heads. Brown verbally sparred QB Tom Brady after Brady let him live in his house leading up to the Bucs’ Super Bowl run that season. Brown made disparaging comments about Brady’s ex-wife Giselle Bundchen.
The icing on the cake came when Brown shuffled off the field after being sidelined during Tampa’s win over the New York Jets on January 2, 2021.
It goes without saying that football fans were taken aback when Brown took his jersey off and attempted to hype up the crowd at MetLife Stadium before making a beeline for the tunnel. Arians was frank after the game, dismissing Brown from the team.
Bruce Arians said Antonio Brown “is no longer a Buc.”
Troubles On & Off the Field Gave Birth to Legal Troubles for Brown
Brown ran into trouble with authorities after a dispute with a truck driver outside of his estate in Hollywood, Florida, back in 2020. The image of Brown at his arraignment was peppered throughout TMZ and other publications.
Josh Alper of NBC Sports reported that Brown had a warrant for his arrest due to a dispute with one of his former partners back in 2022. The unnamed mother of Brown’s children successfully appealed for the charges to be dropped.
Now, Brown’s child support drama is the latest in a string of legal issues that the veteran wideout is dealing with.