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Arena Football Returning To Albany Without Ex-Owner Antonio Brown, Report Says Arena Football Returning To Albany Without Ex-Owner Antonio Brown, Report Says
Arena Football Returning To Albany Without Ex-Owner Antonio Brown, Report Says Arena football will make a return to the region, albeit with a potentially new name and without embattled ex-owner Antonio Brown, Albany station CBS 6 reports. The team will be resurrected in 2024, months after the Albany Empire was dropped by the National Arena League (NAL) over Brown’s refusal to pay his required league dues, new team president Jeff Levack told the outlet Thursday, Sept. 28. “He confirmed that arena football will return to MVP Arena this upcoming season,” the station’s sports director, AJ Pankowski said on the X platform, formerly Twitter. “The ownership group is local,”…

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by Michael Mashburn
Sports
Albany Empire Dropped By NAL After Owner Antonio Brown Refuses To Pay League Dues Albany Empire Dropped By NAL After Owner Antonio Brown Refuses To Pay League Dues
Albany Empire Dropped By NAL After Owner Antonio Brown Refuses To Pay League Dues The National Arena League (NAL) has officially cut ties with the Albany Empire over owner Antonio Brown’s refusal to pay his required league fees. It followed an emergency conference call on Thursday, June 15, the league said in a statement. “After exhausting all avenues, the NAL board of owners have decided unanimously to terminate the membership agreement of the Albany Empire,” reads the statement. According to the league, each of its seven teams is required to pay for 1/7 of the league’s operating budget through monthly assessments starting in April. Troubles arose when Brown, a former…

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by Michael Mashburn
Sports
Antonio Brown Denies Withholding Paychecks From Albany Empire Players, Report Says Antonio Brown Denies Withholding Paychecks From Albany Empire Players, Report Says
Antonio Brown Denies Withholding Paychecks From Albany Empire Players, Report Says Antonio Brown is denying accusations that he hasn't paid players on his National Arena League’s Albany Empire, Albany-based ABC-TV affiliate WTEN reports. The 34-year-old Brown, a former All-Pro receiver, made the statement in an interview with News 10's sports director, Griffin Haas, on Wednesday, May 3. The interview came days after head coach Damon Ware and six players, including quarterback Sam Castronova, quit the team citing a hostile working environment since Brown became owner in March 2023. Brown claimed to be unaware of the “minutia” of the reports during his interview with Haas…

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by Michael Mashburn
Sports
'Welcome To The Team': Former All-Pro Antonio Brown Becomes Part Owner Of Albany Empire 'Welcome To The Team': Former All-Pro Antonio Brown Becomes Part Owner Of Albany Empire
'Welcome To The Team': Former All-Pro Antonio Brown Becomes Part Owner Of Albany Empire NFL free agent Antonio Brown is going from player to owner. Appearing at a press conference at MVP Arena in Albany on Thursday, March 2, the former All-Pro receiver announced that he was becoming part owner of the National Arena League’s Albany Empire. WELCOME TO THE TEAM! @AB84 @HCEBrown pic.twitter.com/Aj29hsgkJY — Albany Empire (@AlbanyEmpireNAL) March 2, 2023 “I’m excited and grateful to be a part of the Albany Empire,” he told reporters before recounting his time growing up in Albany, where as a child he watched his father play for what was then the Albany Firebirds. “The face-…

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by Michael Mashburn