Just weeks after taking full ownership of the franchise, the arena football team owned by Antonio Brown is in disarray, with the former NFL star having to take to Twitter to hunt down new players midseason.
Brown purchased a stake in the Empire, a National Arena League team, in March alongside his father Eddie, who played arena football in Albany when the franchise was the Albany Firebirds. According to the Albany Times Union, Brown took full control of the team in April after what former co-owner Mike Kwarta called a “power struggle.”
Now, just weeks later, head coach Damon Ware and several players have reportedly left the team and say they haven’t been paid. The team reportedly was not paid prior to last weekend’s game against the Carolina Cobras. Ware and players such as quarterback Sam Castronova and last year’s team MVP Darius Prince were reportedly not given room keys for the team hotel in Albany upon return.
