Antonio Brown, Raiders set for $30M grievance hearing over lost pay: Report
Brown attempting to recover $30M in withheld guarantees
Troubled NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown’s bid to recover at least $30 million in withheld financial guarantees from the Oakland Raiders will proceed to a grievance hearing in May, according to a report on Thursday.
An independent arbitrator will preside over the hearing and determine whether the Raiders owe Brown any portion of his contract, ESPN reported, citing a source with knowledge of the matter. The hearing’s exact date was unclear.
The dispute is tied to the three-year, $50 million contract that Brown signed with the Raiders prior to the 2019 NFL season. The deal included a total of $30 million in guaranteed money, to be paid out by the end of the 2020 season.
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The NFL Players Association represents players in grievance hearings against the league.
Brown missed most of the Raiders’ training camp due to a litany of issues, including injuries to both feet from a cryotherapy mishap and a failed bid to challenge the NFL’s decision to ban his preferred helmet model. Brown ripped Raiders management over $215,000 in fines related to missed practice time, prompting a feud that led the Raiders to void his contract’s financial guarantees and, eventually, to release him.
Following his Oakland exit, Brown signed a $15 million contract with the Patriots that included $9 million guaranteed at signing. He played just one game for New England before he was released following allegations of sexual assault by multiple women. The NFL’s investigation into those allegations has yet to conclude.
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Brown filed a separate grievance to recoup the $9 million withheld by the Patriots. The date for that hearing has not yet been set.
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Aside from his NFL-related litigation, Brown was arrested in January following an altercation with a moving truck driver at his Florida home. He faces a felony charge of battery with burglary.