Former NFL star Antonio Brown confirms that he has filed for bankruptcy: ‘I’m f—ed up’

Antonio Brown, a former All-Pro receiver who made nearly $81 million during his 12-year NFL career, recently confirmed reports that he has filed for bankruptcy. Brown, 35, said that he filed Chapter 11, which is commonly referred to as “reorganization” bankruptcy in which the debtor usually proposes a plan to pay creditors over time while maintaining their businesses. 

While he said that he is not broke, Brown didn’t mince words when summarizing his current financial situation. 

“I mean, I’m f—ed up, you know what I’m saying?” Brown said on The Pivot Podcast. “I just can’t comply with debt. You know, it’s all about protecting yourself. But yeah, you know … I’m not broke, but I’m fractured. … I’m just reallocating the debt to take care of the debtors. That’s all I’m doing.” 

Brown, who has not played in the NFL since the end of the 2021 season, acknowledged that things got over his head as far as his financials were concerned. 

“You know, anybody can sue you, take you for whatever you got,” Brown said. “You know, at this point, I don’t work, I don’t make millions of dollars where it’s coming in where I could just (pay off) some of that money. So, you know, Chapter 11 is about restructuring the money you’re making so you can take care of the debt.” 

Brown was alluding to some of the legal situations he’s been involved in over the past several years, starting with the allegations of sexual and personal misconduct levied against him in 2019 that ultimately led to the Patriots releasing him after just one game. Brown would have to serve an eight-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy as a result of those allegations. 

It’s safe to say that things haven’t necessarily gone according to plan for Brown, who six years ago was still considered to be the NFL’s premier receiver. 

Prior to his chaotic 2019 offseason and the equally chaotic ending to his career, Brown was putting together a career that many assumed would one day be immortalized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. From 2010-18, Brown was named to the Pro Bowl seven times, was a four-time All-Pro and put together the best six-year stretch for a receiver (2013-18) in league history. 

Brown, who spent the first nine years of his career with the Steelers, owns just about every single season franchise record, including most receiving yards (1,834), most receptions (134) and most touchdown catches in a single campaign (15).