NFL player (or ex-NFL player) Antonio Brown threw some shade on New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft in a now-deleted tweet when the team released him on September 20 after he appeared in one game. The Oakland Raiders previously cut Brown from the roster earlier this month.
“Kraft got caught in the parlor AB speculations fired different strokes different folks clearly,” Brown wrote in the September 22 erased social media message. A still-visible tweet indicates that he is done with NFL football and implies that he will file a union grievance to cash out.
Brown seems to be alluding to the January Florida massage parlor situation in which Kraft faces two misdemeanor solicitation charges. The NFL, so far, has not imposed any disciplinary action on the billionaire philanthropist. Kraft has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Brown has been accused of sexual misconduct by two women but there are no criminal charges pending, just one civil lawsuit, and nothing has yet been proven. The NFL has launched an investigation. “Sports Illustrated reported last week that Brown allegedly sent ‘intimidating’ text messages to a second woman who has also accused him of unwanted sexual advances,” NBC News reported.
“Had Brown not sent intimidating group text messages to the artist who accused him of unwanted sexual advances, the star wide receiver would be playing in the Patriots’ game Sunday against the Jets,” ESPN reported.
The Twitter woke cohort ran with this apparent double standard in the way the league is treating Brown, claiming that Kraft hasn’t been punished for abusing “sex slaves.” The disparate treatment admittedly seems convincing on the surface, but it is based on half truths.
Authorities in the Kraft case have already abandoned their initial claims of human trafficking at the spa in question. And if the appeals court declines to reinstate the arguably unconstitutional evidence (secret video, traffic stop) against Kraft, the charges revolving around alleged solicitation will vaporize. Prosecutors will also likely have to drop the charges against hundreds of ordinary citizens whose lives were almost ruined or perhaps already ruined by this busts.
“In a one-page order, the Fourth District Court of Appeals gave prosecutors until Oct. 1 to file their initial brief laying out the reasons why video footage that allegedly captured Kraft paying for sex acts should be admitted into evidence. The 78-year-old Pats owner has denied engaging in illegal activity,” the Boston Globe reported on September 23.
It seems that instead of investigating and preventing serious crimes, local cops — a.k.a. the moral police — voyeuristically surveilled area massage parlors for months where consenting adults voluntarily engaged in commerce.
Kraft went into a Jupiter, Fla., spa, and received services from entrepreneurs who were running an apparently successful business. Authorities have charged several massage parlor owners with felony prostitution.
Sports leagues have a history of disciplining owners and players with fines and suspensions even absent or before any criminal convictions. Antonio Brown wants to get paid. “The Raiders’ guaranteed money was voided after the team fined him for detrimental conduct before his release on Sept. 7… The Patriots are planning to withhold the signing bonus based on a representation warranty clause that calls for a player to disclose any situations that might prevent continued availability…,” ESPN explained. Brown would hardly be the first NFL athlete who is arrogant, narcissistic, or involved in sketchy off-field activities.
It remains to be seen how the NFL will handle the Brown and Kraft matters.
[Featured image: BrokenSphere, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 license.]