When he’s not joking about returning to the NFL, or dealing with legal issues, Antonio Brown stays busy as the majority owner of the National Arena League’s Albany Empire.
With the Empire getting blown out in a game Saturday night, Brown fired off an angry tweet, “New coach new trainer new players Who wanna Win?????” during the fourth quarter of the 79-34 loss to the Jacksonville Sharks.
Sunday, Empire head coach Tom Menas resigned. He had only been on the job since May 3.
“I have come to realize that my vision doesn’t match our ownership’s vision, and I need to do the right thing and step aside to allow the Albany Empire to find a head coach that matches their vision,” Menas said in a statement (via the Albany Times-Union).
It’s not much of a reach to say that Brown’s mean tweet might have sparked Menas’ resignation. Or it’s possible Brown just simply gave him a choice: resign or be fired.
But the tweet certainly sent an unmistakable message.
Menas has had a crazy last few weeks with the Empire. After leading Albany to league championships in 2021 and 2022, he was fired in April by the team’s previous ownership, only to be reinstated as coach less than a month later.
WNYT reported that Brown has chosen John Audino, the coach at La Salle Institute, t0 replace Menas. He will be the third head coach for the team in less than a month.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.