Report: Here’s When And Why Patriots Decided To Release Antonio Brown

It was more than obvious that Antonio Brown’s time with the New England Patriots won’t last for too long. But, why did the Patriots choose Friday as a suitable day for Brown’s release? Prior to the wide receiver’s release, head coach Bill Belichick got a few Brown-related questions, and he wasn’t in the mood of answering any of that.

The NFL released an official statement following the release.

“Antonio Brown was released today by the New England Patriots, and is currently an unrestricted free agent,” the NFL’s statement read. “Our office is presently investigating multiple allegations, some of which are subject of pending litigation. We have as yet made no findings regarding these issues. The investigation is ongoing and will be pursued vigorously and expeditiously. As long as Mr. Brown is a free agent, placement on the Commissioner’s exempt list is not appropriate. If he is signed by a club, such placement may be appropriate at any time depending of the investigation. Upon the conclusion of the investigation, he may also be subject to discipline if the investigation finds that h has violated the law or league policies.”

Tom Pelissero from NFL Media, says the Patriots decided to cut Brown after the practice because of the promise Belichick couldn’t make to team owner Robert Kraft.

“Robert Kraft was not in the building yesterday, he’s somebody who empowers his football people, but he also holds them accountable,” Pelissero said Saturday on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.” “Belichick and Kraft spoke after practice yesterday, at the point the key question from Kraft was, ‘how can you promise me that this is not going to happen again?’ Well, Belichick can’t say that he can promise it will not happen again. Collaboratively, they decided it was the best thing for the Patriots to move on.”

Experts have shared their opinion on the release.

“Everything the Patriots had dealt with up to that point had been things that happened with Brown prior to him being employed by the Patriots,” Mike Reiss said. “This was the first thing that happened while he was a member of the Patriots.

“It’s a reminder to us that this is bigger than football,” Reiss added. “If it was just about football, he would be here.”