Antonio Brown retires from football and becomes a part owner of NAL team Albany Empire

Antonio Brown says he is retiring as a player to become part owner of the Albany Empire, a National Arena League (NAL) team his father used to play for.

The Super Bowl LV (2020) champion is officially ending his 11-year NFL career this week, according to MLFootballhaving last played in the league in January 2022, when he stripped out of his Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform before running off the field during a game against the New York Jets.

The 34-year-old former wide receiver now focuses on the Empire, an Arena team his father, ‘Touchdown’ Eddie, played for from 1994 to 2003.

Eddie, who was named the greatest player in league history in 2006, has been a member of the Arena Football League (AFL) Hall of Fame since 2011.

On Wednesday, Brown took to social media and shared an emotional post to confirm that he has bought a stake in Empire, which previously ceased all operations after the AFL filed for bankruptcy in 2019. Empire has now been part of NAL since 2021.

Retired NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown (right) is now part owner of the ASL’s Albany Empire.

Brown, 34, last played in an NFL game in January 2022, when he stripped out of his Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform before running off the field against the New York Jets.

“Albany NY has always been a special place for me and my FAMILY,” the former Buccaneers, Patriots, Raiders and Steelers player tweeted along with a childhood photo of him and his brothers at an Albany Firebirds game back in the day. : the old man of the team. name.

Eddie is also now part of his son’s latest investment and will serve as Empire’s vice president of soccer operations.

According sports, the partial purchase of the team was done fairly quickly after “some social media interactions and phone calls.”

In true ‘AB’ fashion, Brown was officially introduced as part owner of the team at a press conference on Thursday while wearing a striking white fur coat.

The recently retired NFL player revealed that he is “excited and grateful to be a part of the Albany Empire.”

“I grew up here as a kid, watching my dad succeed and watching this building erupt,” Brown added. ‘As a child, face painting in stadiums. All the little conveniences that made this town a unit.

“So for me, it’s a family-oriented city like Albany, being here with my dad, my kids and just giving the community and the players a chance to live their dreams. So for me it was easy.

Brown is believed to have a vision that sits well with Empire majority owner Mike Kwarta and will help broaden the team’s media coverage and promotion.

Between 2010 and 2021, Brown’s time in the NFL was filled with success and controversy, on and off the field.

He finished his career with over 900 receptions and 12,000 receiving yards to his name, as well as 83 touchdowns and seven Pro Bowl nominations.

Brown (C) partially purchased the Empire after his father, Eddie (L), played for the franchise.