Central Michigan Kept NFL Star Antonio Brown on the Rails

Every professional sport has that one player who is way more famous for performances off the field than for their performance on it.

When it comes to Antonio Brown, that line is quite blurry.

Controversy has surrounded the former NFL wide receiver for a long time. From tearing off his jersey in the middle of a game while playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to several allegations of sexual abuse and domestic violence, Brown seems to have lost his mind years ago.

His decision-making reeks of head trauma, but little controversy followed him while he played college football at Central Michigan.

Brown walked on to the Chippewa football team in 2007 after wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni offered him a tryout. Before that tryout, Brown had been expelled from Florida International University for an altercation with campus security, prompting Azzanni to reach out.

Mount Pleasant seemed to suit the Florida-born star. It seems the only point in Brown’s career where he didn’t get into any legal trouble was at Central Michigan. Though he initially struggled with punctuality, he won the MAC Freshman of the Year award and All-American honors before declaring for the NFL draft.

Although his antics prior to CMU suggest Brown was destined for the looney bin from the jump, it’s equally likely that Brown endured enough helmet-to-helmet contact during his time with the Chippewas.

Brown’s YouTube highlight titled “The Game That Got Antonio Brown Drafted” shows several instances where, despite excellent jukes, Brown was blown up by Georgia defenders.

Brown led the Chippewas in receiving yards that game despite multiple helmet-to-helmet blows. Eight years later came the infamous Vontaze Burfict head-to-head knockout hit during a Bengals and Steelers wildcard matchup, which many consider to be the inciting incident for Brown’s mental struggles.

Brown’s legal troubles began in 2018 when he threw furniture from his 14th-floor apartment and nearly killed a 22-month old. In between that and multiple sexual assault allegations in 2019 came some 100 mph+ speeding tickets.

Brown has dug the hole deeper for himself. In 2020, the Hollywood, Florida, police stated they no longer wanted Brown to be involved with their youth league after they were called to his home for multiple domestic incidents.

His public incidents since then have ranged from everything including public exposure to most recently second-degree attempted murder, which he recently pled no contest to in order to receive probation instead of going to prison.

Interestingly, around the time of his release from the New England Patriots, Brown re-enrolled at Central Michigan in 2019, graduating in 2023.

Considering Michigan seems to be the one state in which he never got in any legal trouble, it might make sense for him to come back.