Former Football Athlete Joins OnlyFans

Antonio Brown is known for being an incredibly divisive figure both on and off the football field. But he also knows how to make himself relevant in almost any conversation. His latest move? Starting an OnlyFans page. 

Brown had one of the greatest football careers of any wide receiver in the history of the National Football League (NFL). Drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010, Brown quickly emerged as a top player, earning a spot as a top 5 receiver behind other veteran receivers in Pittsburgh. In his first career game, he took a kickoff all the way back for a touchdown on the first play of the game.  

He led the entire league in receiving yards in 2014 and 2017, also leading the league in touchdowns during his final season with Pittsburgh in 2018. For most of his tenure, he played incredibly well and limited off-field distractions. However, in 2018, things took a turn and have only become worse since. 

After a verbal disagreement with his quarterback in Pittsburgh, the team traded Brown to Oakland, but his Oakland stint didn’t last long. Brown missed several practices and meetings, eventually being fined $54,000 by the Raiders for his absences. The very next day, Brown got into a spat with Oakland’s general manager Mike Mayock, hurling insults and physical threats. Not 24 hours after a public apology, Brown demanded his release from Oakland after the organization voided the guaranteed money he had on his contract. He was released by the team just hours before his money would have been guaranteed to him.

He was signed by the New England Patriots that same day, despite numerous allegations of personal and sexual misconduct. After playing just one game, Brown was released by the Patriots when one of his accusers alleged he sent a threatening text message. 

Brown decided to retire from football in September of 2019, except he changed his mind four days later. Even though he wasn’t technically on a team, the NFL suspended him for eight weeks of the 2020 NFL season, after Brown was found in violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. 

Brown signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, playing with them at the end of the 2020 season, and part of 2021 (he was suspended three games for falsely stating he was vaccinated against COVID-19).

In the middle of one of the last games of the season, Brown removed his jersey, gloves, shoulder pads and shirt, sprinting through the end zone, throwing up a peace sign, straight into the locker room. The team released him that day, but he claimed the Buccaneers forced him to play through a dangerous ankle injury. 

After announcing his retirement in 2023, he released a statement the following year expressing his will to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers for free. The Steelers did not sign Brown. 

Brown’s conduct has been attributed to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease common in football players. It’s only possible to diagnose after death. In an alarming trend, at least 24.5% of former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had the disease. There’s some estimates that place the percentage of football players with CTE as high as 97.7%.

Brown himself even acknowledges the high probability he has CTE. After several sports reporters publicly scrutinized his behavior, Brown said on social media, “My CTE acting up F*ck all y’all whoever played on my name.”

Now, the controversial receiver has announced his OnlyFans in a series of innuendo-laden videos starring himself and OnlyFans star Emmie (who bills herself as the #1 Asian on the platform). 

Fans are startled by his move to OnlyFans, with some disappointed. “From being one of the best receivers in recent nfl history to this… the nfl rly needs to take cte more seriously smfh” said one fan, with another commenting, “Bro was my 1st round pick 10 years ago”. 

Past incidents notwithstanding, it’s clear some fans have a stigmatized view of work on OnlyFans. From Brown’s perspective, this is likely more of a business move. Brown has filed for bankruptcy since retiring, and, seeing how many people have made millions on OnlyFans, it’s a compelling combination. 

Despite some disappointed fans, it’s clear Brown still has an audience. He’s betting at least some of his nearly 16 million Instagram followers will show up for him on OnlyFans.