Opinion: NFL teams have been warned about Antonio Brown. Will they listen?

Antonio Brown received the lifetime achievement award that was coming to him Friday afternoon when even the New England Patriots decided they couldn’t put up with him anymore.

Hallelujah. He’s gone. Finally, someone is listening to women, and with Brown, there’s a lot to hear.

The allegations against Brown that have come out over the past 10 days are awful. His former trainer has accused him of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment in a civil lawsuit, and an artist has accused Brown of not only making an unwanted sexual advance in 2017, but also threatening her in a group text chain this week, according to Sports Illustrated.

Brown might be a spectacular wide receiver, but he also is a person who has to co-exist with others in a world that is changing rapidly around him. He’s stuck in #MeToo America in a league that now has a mechanism in place to deal with bad guys like him. Awful timing, Antonio. This is a man in desperate need of a time machine to take him to an era where men could get away with pretty much anything.

Nonetheless, there are football fans out there who were actually musing Friday evening about where Brown might play next. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said in a statement that Brown “is looking forward to his next opportunity in the NFL.” And you just know there are coaches and front office people around the league who are engaged in similar conversations.

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Uplifting, isn’t it?

But all is not lost. A piece of evidence surfaced Friday evening showing that the NFL actually has changed in the five years since the Ray Rice punch. It came in the form of a statement from the league, but it actually was more of a warning.

“Our office is presently investigating multiple allegations, some of which are the subject of pending litigation,” the league said of Brown. “We have as yet made no findings regarding these issues. The investigation is ongoing and will be pursued vigorously and expeditiously.

“As long as Mr. Brown is a free agent, placement on the Commissioner’s exempt list is not appropriate. If he is signed by a club, such placement may become appropriate at any time depending on the status of the investigation. Upon the conclusion of the investigation, he may also be subject to discipline if the investigation finds that he has violated the law or league policies.”

Well, well, well. Any team wanting to sign a man who has been accused of serious sexual misconduct by two different women in less than two weeks has now been duly warned.  

While it’s wonderful that the NFL put this in writing, it’s also terrible that the NFL had to put it in writing. It means that the league is not entirely certain that a team won’t try to sign Brown in the next few days. And if that’s a possibility, what does that say about that team, its so-called leadership and the way it views its role in a city where 50% of the population and 45 % of its fan base is women and girls?

I think this is the right answer: Not much.

Like it or not, times are changing. Each of the 32 NFL teams is much more than just a football franchise. It’s also a pillar of its community. None of them exists in a void. They might think they can get away with anything (like signing this clown Brown), but they really can’t, not in 2019.

The NFL just put the proof in writing.