Getty Antonio Brown saw another legal issue resolve during this offseason.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown faced two years probation from a January 2020 incident, but it recently came to a resolution.
Brown’s “probation was terminated a year early” according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Brown’s “criminal matter related to his battery case was finalized,” too per Rapoport. Brown had been serving two years’ probation due to an altercation with a moving truck driver in January 2020.
#Bucs WR Antonio Brown’s probation was terminated a year early and his criminal matter related to his battery case was finalized. A statement from lawyer Sean Burstyn:
Brown’s attorney, Sean Burstyn, released a statement, obtained by Rapoport, about the matters.
“In further demonstration of Antonio Brown’s hard work and great progress since his NFL suspension, we are very pleased to advise that his withheld adjudication is now final and he has completed his probation a full year ahead of schedule, said attorney Sean Burstyn. Due to the fine work of Kelly and Carson Hancock, Brown’s criminal attorneys in Broward, that unfortunate event is behind him. “We see nothing but blue sky for A.B.,” Burstyn said.
Brown still has a civil lawsuit, filed on May 12, open for the truck driver incident. Brown and his trainer, Glenn Holt, attacked and injured moving truck driver Anton Tumanov according to the lawsuit via Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times. Tumanov seeks $300,000 for damages. He was moving Brown’s possessions to Florida from California.
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Another Legal Issue Remains for Brown
It’s not the last of Brown’s lingering legal issues, either. He faces a civil lawsuit over not paying KCB Marketing, which helped him with marketing in past years according to Baker. The firm seeks “more than $100,000 in damages” per Baker.
Brown saw another legal issue in end earlier this offseason. He and former trainer Britney Taylor reached a settled on April 21 in a civil lawsuit that alleged sexual assault and rape by Brown. Before the settlement, the court had a trial date set for December 2021, which would have fallen late in the upcoming NFL season.
Brown Returns After Uncertain Offseason
The four-time All Pro joined the Bucs as a free agent in October 2020 after serving an eight-game suspension by the NFL due to violations of the personal conduct policy. He re-signed with the Bucs in May after an uncertain free agency period when the Super Bowl champions secured returning all 22 of their starters.
Speculation abounded that Brown may sign with another team such as the Seattle Seahawks or Baltimore Ravens. Then, a month delay between the announcement of his re-signing with the Bucs and his actual re-signing raised questions.
Brown needed knee surgery to pass a physical, which ultimately caused the delay in re-signing. He injured his knee during the NFC Divisional round game at New Orleans in January.
With his new Bucs deal, Brown could make up to $6.25 million. He earns incentives based on the number of receptions, yards, and touchdowns in addition to per-game incentives and a signing bonus according to ESPN’s Field Yates.
Antonio Brown’s deal
SB: $2M
Base: $1.1M
Per-gamers: $900K (with player/team improvement in certain stats)
Incentives:
* 50 rec: $333,333
* 70 rec: $333,334
* 600 yards: $333,333
* 800 yards: $333,334
* 5 TD: $333,333
* 7 TD: $333,333
* 45% PT & active for a Super Bowl win: $250K
Brown had a productive 2020 season in eight regular season games with 45 receptions, 483 yards, and four touchdowns. He also caught touchdowns in the Wild Card game at Washington and Super Bowl LV during the postseason.