Due to $3 million in debt, Antonio Brown files for bankruptcy

Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown, who once owned the Albany Empire Arena Football League team, is having serious financial difficulties. Documents filed on Monday in a Florida federal bankruptcy court indicate that Brown owes at least eight creditors close to $3 million.

One of the creditors is a truck driver from Florida who received a $1.2 million award after Brown neglected to show up for court in relation to an assault case. Brown is also unable to pay three minimum six-figure civil judgments.

Brown filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which gives people and companies the protection from creditors they need to restructure their debts. No creditors from the Capital Region, the Arena Football League, or former Empire players who were unpaid during Brown’s turbulent tenure are listed in the complaint.

Shortly after the Albany Empire’s expulsion from the National Arena League last summer, Brown’s rocky time with the franchise came to an end. Before this, coaches and athletes who found their wages had been taken out of their bank accounts threatened to sue Brown.

In addition, Brown owes a South Florida plumber $296 and hundreds of thousands of dollars in credit card debt. According to Fox Sports, he names Avanti Solutions as a creditor owing $28,589 for work associated with his attendance at the Los Angeles hip-hop event “Rolling Loud.” According to the Tampa Bay Times, Miami Shores-based KCB Marketing filed a lawsuit against Brown in 2021 alleging unpaid commissions on earnings of more than $2 million.

Brown lists assets in bankruptcy that are worth no more than $50,000. The intricate network of trusts and institutions connected to Brown under the alias Antonio El-Allah is not discussed in the complaint. A 2023 Times Union article emphasized contradictory claims made by Brown regarding the ownership of the Empire, along with papers purportedly signed by El-Allah, a trustee.

According to the bankruptcy declaration, Brown resides in an 18,000-square-foot estate in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with 12 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms. During his disastrous ownership of the Empire, he had briefly entered into negotiations to purchase the Saratoga Springs home known as Palazzo Riggi.

On Wednesday, Brown’s bankruptcy attorney was not immediately available for comment.

Brown declared bankruptcy on Monday, according to a statement he made on X, the former Twitter platform. A scene from “The Office” opens the clip, which then cuts to Brown sprinting out of a house and waving his arms in a garden.