Former NFL Pro Bowl receiver Antonio Brown said he is going to play for the Albany Empire, the National Arena League team he owns, as soon as May 27, WNYT reported Wednesday.
Brown purchased stake in the club in March and reportedly owns 95 percent of the team.
According to WNYT, Brown said he will play either in the May 27 home game against the Fayetteville Mustangs or June 17 against the visiting Jacksonville Sharks. Brown said he’s hopeful a crowd of 10,000 — about four times more than normal — will attend his Empire debut.
Brown also told WNYT that former NFL star quarterback Cam Newton may soon join the organization in some capacity.
Albany has endured a rocky season in which two coaches have been fired with one returning. Tom Menas was fired shortly before the start of the season and Damon Ware was let go in the aftermath of an April 30 loss to the Carolina Cobras. Ware expressed his displeasure over players and coaches not being paid on time.
After Ware’s dismissal, Brown rehired Menas as coach.
Albany won the past two NAL titles but is just 1-3 this season during Brown’s first season of ownership.
The Empire visit the Jacksonville Sharks this Saturday.
Brown, 34, played 12 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2010-18), New England Patriots (2019) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020-21) and made 928 catches for 12,291 yards and caught 83 touchdown passes. He was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection for the Steelers.
Brown is the son of “Touchdown” Eddie Brown, an Albany arena football legend.
–Field Level Media
