By suspending ‘AB’ the NFL paves the way for his return

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By temporarily banning controversy-magnet Antonio Brown for the first half of the coming season, the NFL on Friday probably paved the way for his return.

The ultimate sports locker-room distraction for the past 2-3 years, Brown has been suspended by the league without pay for the first eight regular-season games, for what the NFL termed “multiple violations” of the league’s personal conduct policy.

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The league had been investigating Brown since last September, when a former female personal trainer of his filed a civil suit against him in South Florida, seeking unspecified monetary damages. She claimed Brown sexually assaulted her three times from 2017-18, including one incident of rape. Brown’s lawyer vehemently denied her accusations and described the lawsuit as a lowly money-grab.

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo on Friday said that lawsuit — which has yet to be decided in court — had no bearing on Brown’s eight-game suspension. Rather, two other disturbing matters did.

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First, a Sports Illustrated expose last September that revealed new accusations against Brown, ranging from a previously unknown alleged act of sexual misconduct, to repeated purported incidents of withholding owed payments to charities, to other “multiple domestic incidents.”

Secondly, an incident involving a moving-truck driver this past January at Brown’s home in Broward County, Fla., from which Brown originally faced three felony burglary and assault charges. In June, Brown changed his plea from not guilty to no contest. A judge then sentenced him to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service, and furthermore ordered Brown to undergo a psychological evaluation and take a 13-week anger-management course.

Brown, who turned 32 three weeks ago, remains one of the most physically talented wide receivers to play in the NFL this century.

He has been an unrestricted free agent since the New England Patriots cut him last Sept. 20, in the wake of the civil-suit news bomb, after having spent just 14 days with the Patriots and playing in only one game.

This, after Brown spent less than six months with the Oakland Raiders, during which time he knitted a long string of self-topping, self-serving, self-centred, self-defending outrages — from his bizarre battle with the NFL to continue wearing an outdated, banned, unsafe helmet, to being fined for missing on-field workouts, to nearly coming to blows with Raiders GM Mike Mayock during a practice, to being briefly suspended by the Raiders, before Brown ripped the Raiders to shreds publicly to successfully orchestrate his release.

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Before that, Brown spent his first nine years in the NFL in Pittsburgh and became a four-time all-pro receiver. But he exhibited increasingly super-selfish behavior over his last year or two as a Steeler, then purposely poisoned his relations with key club leaders and teammates so as to compel a trade, eventually to Oakland.

Will any team bother signing him now? Absolutely.

Receivers of Brown’s talents are incredibly rare. And by finally meting out punishment to Brown, the NFL actually made it easier for a team to do so, because there’s no longer a mystery as to how long Brown might first have to be sidelined.

In its news release the NFL noted that Brown indeed “may sign with any team.” And he could fully participate in all training-camp activities, into September. His suspension would not kick in until Sept. 5, coinciding with final summer roster cut-downs. He could return after his team’s eighth game.

But whether Brown signs with a team now, later in August, or some time during the season he must behave all the while.

“As part of the discipline,” the NFL said, “Brown was directed to continue his program of counseling and treatment, and that he is expected fully to cooperate with his clinicians. Brown was advised that any further violation of the (league’s) personal-conduct policy will likely result in more significant discipline.”

Unlike so many other warnings over the past several years, Brown had better take this finger-wagging seriously.

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Which team or teams might want to sign Brown?

We know one quarterback who’d love to have him on his roster: Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens, reigning NFL MVP. Not only did Jackson work out one day with Brown this past off-season — along with Jackson’s current teammate and wide receiver, Brown’s cousin Marquise Brown — but Jackson publicly lobbied for it just on Wednesday.

“It was nice throwing to Antonio Brown,” Jackson told reporters on a video conference call. “I was hoping we would get him — still hoping, a little bit.

“I just feel he’s a great — well, around us he was a great guy. You don’t really see anything going on, at all. He’s a cool, down-to-earth guy and he’s passionate about the sport of football. When he was working, you could tell this man, he’s going to go 24/7. And after the workout he still went and lifted. Prior to the workout he lifted.

“I’m like, ‘Man, this guy, there’s no quitting with him.’”

If Brown can quit being a default, colossal pain-in-the-butt and toe the lines, on the field and off, he might well be able to resume his impressive on-field career. A seven-time Pro Bowl pick, Brown has caught 841 passes for 11,263 yards and 75 touchdowns in 131 career games.

Jackson said he informed Ravens coaches about what he saw in Brown in the off-season.

“I respect his opinion on it,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Thursday, “and definitely appreciate hearing how that workout went, whenever it was.

“We’ll look at any and every player at all times. Antonio Brown is no exception. Decisions will be made based on whatever they are made on. I don’t think he’s really available to even sign right now, so it’s not really a conversation that you have until he’s available to sign.”

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Presumably, such conversations were taking place at Ravens headquarters — and at many others around the league — on Friday afternoon.

MONDAY NIGHT ANNOUNCERS

Numerous reports said ESPN has decided on a new Monday Night Football announcing crew: Steve Levy on play-by-play, supported by ex-NFL QB Brian Griese and top studio analyst Louis Riddick on colour commentary. That trio (thankfully) replaces Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland. Levy is a long-time caller of NHL games for ESPN, and has done college football games most recently, with Griese as his booth partner.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

Two Rams players were placed Friday on reserve/COVID-19 list including Canadian-born, mostly Ohio-raised undrafted rookie defensive lineman Michael Hoecht. Players placed on this list either have contracted the coronavirus, or came into close contact with someone with it.

Others placed on that list Friday: Miami starting LB Jerome Baker, Miami backup DT Zach Sieler, Atlanta DT Tyeler Davison, Atlanta backup QB Danny Etling and Tampa Bay RBs Raymond Calais and Aca’Cedric Ware.

Additional players who have voluntarily opted out of playing in 2020 include Reserve Cincinnati OT Isaiah Prince, Los Angeles Rams OL Chandler Brewer and Jacksonville DT Al Woods.

EXTRA POINTS

Buffalo Bills RG Jon Feliciano is out indefinitely after tearing a pectoral muscle … Veteran RB LeSean McCoy signed a one-year deal in Tampa Bay. Shady is limited now, at age 32, but that’s one talented Bucs offence, folks … Ex-NFL coach Tom Coughlin broke four ribs and also suffered a collapsed lung and head cuts after his bicycle got clipped by a reckless cyclist, he told ESPN … The league and players union approved all clubs’ Infectious Disease Emergency Response (IDER) plans before the latest-arriving veterans finally began being allowed onto club premises on Friday, so long as they passed at least three COVID-19 tests over a four-day period earlier in the week.

JoKryk@postmedia.com

@JohnKryk