AB Watch II: Quarantonio Brown

BigJimEd

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I normally don't care for the conspiracy media circus stuff, but I have to believe this + whatever happened with Josh Gordon has actually upset Brady and others on the team.
Upset how? Upset with Kraft and/or Belichick? Upset with Brown? Gordon?
Just upset or frustrated at the situation in general?
 

DebSox

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Jul 14, 2005
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Having read his latest IG/Twitter apology, there is almost zero chance those are his exact words. I have perused his other posts; this is from Drew or his new PR hire. Nice try.
 

snowmanny

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Well to be fair, having someone else do all his social media would be a major sign of progress.
 

scottyno

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I normally don't care for the conspiracy media circus stuff, but I have to believe this + whatever happened with Josh Gordon has actually upset Brady and others on the team.
Gordon got hurt and they didn't think he'd be healthy enough this year to be effective. Given his results (or lack of) with Seattle so far they were right.
 

DebSox

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Jul 14, 2005
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Well to be fair, having someone else do all his social media would be a major sign of progress.
The only problem with this is that AB can’t stay on the reservation in regard to not responding. He constantly has to add his own 2 cents, which defeats the purpose of a well orchestrated PR push.

edit: In light of many current conversations, my terminology of “stay on the reservation” could be taken as racist. Not the intention. Better stated: “refrain from further engagement on social media”
 
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DJnVa

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Having read his latest IG/Twitter apology, there is almost zero chance those are his exact words. I have perused his other posts; this is from Drew or his new PR hire. Nice try.
I don't think he's trying to "fool" anyone. People in situations like his always release statements written by others.
 

Pandemonium67

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Yeah, I look at it as a sign of growth and smarts that he's letting a specialist do his messaging. The less he does himself, the better.

True edit: On an unrelated note, I think having AB makes the Pats a truly solid SB contender, on par with anyone. Without him, it's a very uphill battle (that's still possibly winnable because BB et al).
 

Marciano490

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Yeah, I look at it as a sign of growth and smarts that he's letting a specialist do his messaging. The less he does himself, the better.

True edit: On an unrelated note, I think having AB makes the Pats a truly solid SB contender, on par with anyone. Without him, it's a very uphill battle (that's still possibly winnable because BB et al).
My poor heart broke a little when you said BB et al and not BB and Tom et al.
 

Pandemonium67

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The oversight was intentional. Slighting TB turns him into Superman, and without AB that's what we'll need.

"Hey TB, you're old and you suck!"
 

Jimbodandy

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I normally don't care for the conspiracy media circus stuff, but I have to believe this + whatever happened with Josh Gordon has actually upset Brady and others on the team.
You don't have to believe anything.

AB has a lot of bad juju around him, based on things that he has said and done and also things that other people claimed that he has said and done. Some of the events are established fact, and some are not.

What is clear is that he cannot stay on script. It took him 11 days to get cut here for not following basic orders. He won't get another chance here, nor should he.
 

axx

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It took him 11 days to get cut here for not following basic orders. He won't get another chance here, nor should he.
Is there any reason to think he was cut for anything other than the lawsuit? I think you are confusing him with Gordon.
 

Jimbodandy

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Is there any reason to think he was cut for anything other than the lawsuit? I think you are confusing him with Gordon.
He engaged in veiled threats over a group text message of some kind involving the woman suing him and it became news. He could have let his lawyers handle it, "ignore the noise", and "do his job". But he chose to ignore the quoted instructions above, which are clearly marked on signs entering and leaving the facility.

He can't put the team before himself. He's not capable. It took 11 days for him to prove it.

All the talk radio garbage is just that.
 
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dcdrew10

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That was PED though, right? Those are defined in the CBA so this is a little different.
Not saying it is necessarily fair but not sure if they have suspended any FA for similar off field incidents.
Mostly PED suspensions, but in some cases free agents are suspended for other things. Josh Brown was suspended 6 games in 2017 for domestic violence (after an investigation that lasted a year, even though he admitted abusing his wife before his initial one game suspension that caused a lot of controversy) and JJ Wharton was suspended for 6 games in 2016 after an assault conviction. Is the NFL seemingly arbitrary in it's suspensions? Yes. Why did they spend a year investigating Brown for domestic violence AFTER he admitted to it in writing the Washington State Police? Were they waiting for him to get out of the news cycle, be "too old" and too far removed from competitive games to be attractive signing for a team and then give him a coup de grace suspension? But, regardless the NFL suspends free agents all the time, not just for drugs, performance enhancing or mind altering. They tend to drag their feet "investigating" high profile cases and come down hard in the off season when fewer people are looking. Brown is screwed and will likely never play another down in the NFL. I wouldn't be able to say one way or the other if he deserves it because this is the NFL we're talking about. He likely deserves it, but the NFL is so PR focused they would throw anyone under the bus to "protect the shield".
 

BigJimEd

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Mostly PED suspensions, but in some cases free agents are suspended for other things. Josh Brown was suspended 6 games in 2017 for domestic violence (after an investigation that lasted a year, even though he admitted abusing his wife before his initial one game suspension that caused a lot of controversy) and JJ Wharton was suspended for 6 games in 2016 after an assault conviction. Is the NFL seemingly arbitrary in it's suspensions? Yes. Why did they spend a year investigating Brown for domestic violence AFTER he admitted to it in writing the Washington State Police? Were they waiting for him to get out of the news cycle, be "too old" and too far removed from competitive games to be attractive signing for a team and then give him a coup de grace suspension? But, regardless the NFL suspends free agents all the time, not just for drugs, performance enhancing or mind altering. They tend to drag their feet "investigating" high profile cases and come down hard in the off season when fewer people are looking. Brown is screwed and will likely never play another down in the NFL. I wouldn't be able to say one way or the other if he deserves it because this is the NFL we're talking about. He likely deserves it, but the NFL is so PR focused they would throw anyone under the bus to "protect the shield".
Thanks. And well said.
 

lexrageorge

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He sent the texts, received a warning from the League, it percolated a day or two and then he was cut.
There was no league warning. He sent the texts, a day later the texts were made public, and AB was cut the following day after practicing that morning.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Its not happening for non-football reasons and that just is what it is.

But I will say that its hard to imagine one player who would help this offense more than Antonio Brown - deep threat, red zone productivity, and even moreso a guy who can get open regularly in short and intermediate areas against man coverage. The formula to kill the Patriots right now is to blitz and get one-on-one matchups against the weak links in their OL, especially the center, and then double Edelman and man up on everybody else. Antonio Brown would singlehandedly destroy that formula with his ability to get open in short areas and his threat as a YAC receiver who can take a quick hitter to the house. Teams would have to completely rethink their coverage and definitely could not rush five as often, which would in turn help the OL considerably.
 

BigSoxFan

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Its not happening for non-football reasons and that just is what it is.

But I will say that its hard to imagine one player who would help this offense more than Antonio Brown - deep threat, red zone productivity, and even moreso a guy who can get open regularly in short and intermediate areas against man coverage. The formula to kill the Patriots right now is to blitz and get one-on-one matchups against the weak links in their OL, especially the center, and then double Edelman and man up on everybody else. Antonio Brown would singlehandedly destroy that formula with his ability to get open in short areas and his threat as a YAC receiver who can take a quick hitter to the house. Teams would have to completely rethink their coverage and definitely could not rush five as often, which would in turn help the OL considerably.
Yup. He literally is the perfect WR for this team. It’s why Brady was so excited to get him and why he was likely annoyed when Kraft took him away. If you offered me AB and no bye or a bye and no AB, I take the former. He is such a difference maker. Edelman and AB would have destroyed teams and it would have allowed us to keep our 2nd round pick while only needing modest contributions from everyone else. This gamble was understandable but pretty costly.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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The second he signed with a team the commish would put him on the exempt list.

Stop with the longing. He's a bad guy and he's not going to play in the league this year or perhaps ever.
 

bsj

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The second he signed with a team the commish would put him on the exempt list.

Stop with the longing. He's a bad guy and he's not going to play in the league this year or perhaps ever.
I’m not longing. I know he isn’t coming back. But seeing how yesterday went down moved me from “I wouldn’t want him back” to “I Would”
 

BigSoxFan

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Yeah, this will be big story but it’s EL as soon as anyone signs him. The investigation will be complete right after the Super Bowl. They don’t want this story overshadowing the playoffs.
 

Soxy

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Yeah, this will be big story but it’s EL as soon as anyone signs him. The investigation will be complete right after the Super Bowl. They don’t want this story overshadowing the playoffs.
My thoughts exactly. I can't imagine the NFL lets him suit up for any playoff games, if it comes to that.
 

joe dokes

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He warrants that he has never had a mental illness? On his way to void-town again I see.
Legend has it that when Jimmy Piersall was released from the hospital, he waved his discharge papers in front of reporters and said, "I got a piece of paper that says I'm not crazy. Do you?"
 

SoxinSeattle

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I would hate AB playing for the Saints but I'll enjoy this mini fuck you to the NFL from our brothers in NFL injustice. Hopefully signing him forces Goodell to leave Maine in the middle of the Holidays.
 

BigSoxFan

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I would hate AB playing for the Saints but I'll enjoy this mini fuck you to the NFL from our brothers in NFL injustice. Hopefully signing him forces Goodell to leave Maine in the middle of the Holidays.
Definitely a nice F U from Payton and the Saints. They know he has zero chance of playing but trying to sign him forces the NFL to act. Zero downside for them.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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The NFL using the threat of the exempt list is such bullshit.

For a player not under contract, it makes him virtually impossible to be signed since the player has to be paid during his time on the exempt list. The maximum penalty under the PCP is 6 weeks, I'm pretty sure. For an unsigned player the exempt list threat can keep you from playing for years even before an investigation, in a circumstance where the worst case even after an investigation is 6 games. I'm surprised the NFLPA isn't more aggressive on this. I guess Antonio Brown is a player that it's hard to have sympathy for and if the prevailing wisdom is that he's going to get to keep his signing bonus anyway, I suppose the harm is reduced. But this just stinks. The exempted list was never meant to be used this way. It is supposed to be the equivalent of a paid leave policy. For an unsigned player it is not.
 

BigSoxFan

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The NFL using the threat of the exempt list is such bullshit.

For a player not under contract, it makes him virtually impossible to be signed since the player has to be paid during his time on the exempt list. The maximum penalty under the PCP is 6 weeks, I'm pretty sure. For an unsigned player the exempt list threat can keep you from playing for years even before an investigation, in a circumstance where the worst case even after an investigation is 6 games. I'm surprised the NFLPA isn't more aggressive on this. I guess Antonio Brown is a player that it's hard to have sympathy for and if the prevailing wisdom is that he's going to get to keep his signing bonus anyway, I suppose the harm is reduced. But this just stinks. The exempted list was never meant to be used this way. It is supposed to be the equivalent of a paid leave policy. For an unsigned player it is not.
I think your concerns are valid. It’s yet another abuse of power. This time it’s AB and nobody cares because he’s a bad person who doesn’t deserve to play. Next time, it might be someone more innocent. It’s now been proven that the threat of the EL is basically a paid suspension.
 

E5 Yaz

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I've been wanting a Saints-Patriots Super Bowl for years ... just to make the Gingerbread Man as uncomfortable as possible
 

Papelbon's Poutine

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I think he and the league would love that actually. The ratings would be ginormous. I’m not As convinced he has a grudge against the Pats as others here are so mileage may vary.
 

21st Century Sox

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If the NFL is planning to suspend AB the moment the Saints, or any NFL team signs him.....why don't they communicate that? It seems like a waste of time/energy for a team and AB's agent to hash out a deal, get it to a signing, and have it all for naught. Is there legal reason that they cannot make that known? Also, are there any odds that he would be allowed to play?
 

Deathofthebambino

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If the NFL is planning to suspend AB the moment the Saints, or any NFL team signs him.....why don't they communicate that? It seems like a waste of time/energy for a team and AB's agent to hash out a deal, get it to a signing, and have it all for naught. Is there legal reason that they cannot make that known? Also, are there any odds that he would be allowed to play?
The reason they haven't come out and said it is because it's much easier to say "Our investigation is still ongoing, and until it's complete, he'll be on the exempt list...." If they complete their investigation and find nothing, they have to say that and announce to everyone he can play when someone signs him. Of course, the investigation should have been completed about 2 months ago after they met with both the accuser and AB for like 8 hours each, no criminal charges have been filed against him, and like he's said a million times, there are a whole bunch of guys playing on Sundays that have been accused of, and in some cases, convicted of the same, or more serious, shit than what he's been accused of in a civil case (not criminal). This is a blackball situation, plain and simple, at least for this season.

And now I feel dirty for defending AB.
 

PedroKsBambino

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Agree with DOTB—whatever you think about AB this is another shameful, anti fair process NFL investigation/punishment/star chamber
 

Marciano490

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Part of the reason I think the NFL is slow walking the KSP taping penalty is it’s a free get out of jail card for the next scandal. So, say Brown signs, people complain, boom Pats get whacked.