Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown has been away from football for nearly three years now, but he remains a frequent fixture in the news due to his provocative and often unsettling social media posts.
A string of off-field controversies and legal troubles has unfortunately overshadowed Antonio Brown’s NFL career. Prior to these issues arising late in the 2018 NFL season, Brown was widely regarded as a future Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Recently, Brown directed an unwarranted jab at Basketball Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade and Wade’s daughter, Zaya. Wade, who was a commentator for Team USA’s Group C game against Serbia, praised former Miami Heat teammate LeBron James and mentioned that James’ pronouns are “he/him.” After the game, Wade reiterated this information on Twitter.
Antonio Brown subsequently took to social media to criticize Wade and his daughter Zaya, who publicly came out as transgender four years ago. Last year, Wade revealed that he relocated his family from Florida due to concerns about the state’s LGBTQ policies, which he felt would make his family uncomfortable. Wade has four children.
Antonio Brown’s quest for attention has been a constant theme since his last NFL game, and he continues to make headlines by targeting prominent athletes past and present on social media. This includes his former teammate Tom Brady, who advocated for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to give Brown another chance, as well as WNBA stars Caitlin Clark and Brittney Griner.
The 36-year-old Brown played his final game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 17 of the 2021 season against the New York Jets. He exited the field abruptly after head coach Bruce Arians chose to bench him due to an injury, effectively marking the end of his once-stellar NFL career.