by Jordy McElroy
The last thing anyone needs to see is former NFL All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown tossing on a pair of boxing gloves and stepping into the ring with YouTube megastar Logan Paul. Some guilty pleasures are better left alone, including the ones that would draw copious amounts of attention and an enormous payday.
Brown, who can no longer set records on the field, is opting to set a record for the amount of train wrecks he can cause off it. But there is no question his latest stunt could end up being one of the more embarrassing ones.
If the goal is to get back in the NFL, then Brown is clearly headed in the wrong direction. Yet, direction isn’t something he’s able to lean on these days now that even his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has cut ties with him. There’s no way to tell which way is up, down, left or right anymore for a guy that should be competing for a championship contender, while picking his spot on the Mount Rushmore of NFL receivers.
Instead, he’s posting videos of his stiff-legged mitt routine on social media.
It’s astounding to think Brown went from catching passes from legendary quarterback Tom Brady as a member of the New England Patriots to potentially getting brutalized in the ring by a YouTuber.
Paul has already been in the ring twice in a long-winded attempt to settle a feud with fellow internet personality KSI. He essentially has over two years of professional boxing training under his belt.
According to the New York Post, the fight offer is for an April date in Las Vegas with the possibility of the money exceeding $1 million with incentives. Whether out of pure curiosity or an opportunity to see the unruly NFL star receive his comeuppance, one would have to assume the incentives would be pretty lofty considering the amount of eyes a potential bout of that magnitude would generate.
Brown’s chiseled physique and supreme athleticism on the football field won’t save him in a boxing ring. There’s an art to fighting that isn’t possible to put together in mere months. Some gyms won’t even allow athletes to compete without at least one year’s worth of training. There’s a big difference between getting tackled and punched in the face.
It’s a dangerous path to go down for a troubled athlete with lingering questions regarding his mental state. Social media has served as the conduit for his fall from grace with one troubling incident after another.
A recent incident had Brown livestreaming a confrontation with the Hollywood Police Department and his ex-girlfriend. It was a bizarre and disturbing verbal altercation that escalated into him shouting expletives in the presence of his children, along with throwing phallic-shaped gummies.
A return to the NFL doesn’t appear to be in the cards anytime soon for Brown.
He would likely go on the Commissioner’s Exempt List for any team desperate enough to sign him. The league is still conducting its own investigation on the ongoing sexual assault allegations that came to light last September. Considering Brown’s recent behavior, the NFL might be better off dragging its feet for as long as possible.
The man seen in the video isn’t in the right mindset to be playing football, much less stepping into a boxing ring and fighting.
There should come a time where a person’s mental health trumps the monetary gains that can be made off the name. What some might consider a humbling by Paul could quickly nosedive into tragedy. The next train wreck by Brown could his last.