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The Patriots had to know they were taking a bit of a gamble on Antonio Brown when they decided to sign him in September after the wide receiver was released from the Raiders thanks to the divalike tendencies that had caused the Steelers to ship him to Oakland in the first place.
New England has a history of helping embattled players turn things around but there was only so much the team could do to avoid succumbing to outside pressure after multiple women came forward to accuse Brown of sexual misconduct and they would ultimately release him after he played just a single game.
Brown initially reacted to the news with grace before deciding to change course a couple of days later by referencing Robert Kraft’s alleged affinity for illicit massage parlors in a now-deleted tweet, but last month, he reversed course and said he would be open to playing for the Patriots again if they were willing to have him back (which was admittedly a very big “if”).
Earlier this week, Brown unexpectedly apologized to Kraft for his various transgressions, which caused LaVar Arrington to speculate Tom Brady was trying to help his former teammate get in the owner’s good graces (although the quarterback was quick to deny that theory).
Mr.Kraft I apologize sincerely to you and your organization! All I wanted to be was an asset to the organization; sorry for the bad media and the drama ! Thank you sincerely AB pic.twitter.com/oWJCwkrpjk
— AB (@AB84) November 19, 2019
On Thursday, things took quite the turn when a report surfaced that suggested the Patriots were looking into the possibility of resigning Brown.
Per @WEEI @christianfauria, the #Patriots have "kicked the tires" on Antonio Brown. Says there have been discussions about the player.
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) November 21, 2019
However, it didn’t take long for those rumors to get put to rest, as NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran debunked the claim before The Athletic’s Jeff Howe came forward to do the same.
The Patriots will not be re-signing Antonio Brown, according to a source. Those rumors can be put to rest.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) November 22, 2019
Brown met with the NFL about the aforementioned allegations last week and it’s still unclear if he’s even allowed to play in the league as things currently stand, so while there’s little doubt he’ll be signed by someone if he’s ultimately cleared, it doesn’t look like New England will be in the conversation.