New ‘Antonio Brown Rule’ After Patriots Burned by Signing
The NFL is looking to protect itself from more gaffes like the one that victimized the New England Patriots a few years ago and has now made a key rule change ahead of the 2023 regular season.
It will quite likely become known as the “Antonio Brown.Rule.”
According to Pro Football Talk. the league has changed a CBA rule in its Personal Conduct Policy, thanks to Antonio Brown's actions before signing with the Patriots in 2019.
"One change arises in part from receiver Antonio Brown’s short-lived stint with the Patriots, PFT explained. “After Brown finagled his release from the Raiders, the Patriots signed him. Then, after only one game, Brown was sued for sexual assault and rape. It later came to light that Brown knew of the threatened litigation before signing with the Patriots, but that he did not disclose it to them.
"The Personal Conduct Policy now imposes an obligation on all players to disclose potential violations to teams before signing contracts with them."
Brown, one of the most talented receivers of his generation, was a superstar with the Pittsburgh Steelers, had success with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and in that 2019 season quickly wore out his welcome in Las Vegas and New England.
Brown has involved himself in a series of incidents, behavioral, financial and legal, that have those who care about him worried.
Meanwhile, with the NFLPA presumably not putting up much of a fight, the owners just found a way to not take the blame if their teams’ research into a player’s background is too shallow blows up in the franchises’ face.
Now, thanks the “Antonio Brown Rule,” it’ll just blow up the face of the player.
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