Free-agent wide receiver Antonio Brown on Tuesday apologized to New England Patriots CEO Robert Kraft for the controversy that he brought during his 11-day tenure with the team. In his post on Instagram and Twitter, Brown apologized sincerely to Kraft and his organization and added that he simply wanted to be an asset to the Patriots. “Sorry for the bad media and the drama!” added Brown, who was cut on Sept.
20 due to allegations of rape, sexual assault and sexual misconduct. Following his release, Brown took a shot at Kraft on social media about his involvement in a spa incident in Florida in a tweet but he erased it immediately. Brown signed a one-year deal worth $15 million in New England following his release from the Patriots.
Several of his former Patriots teammates, including veteran quarterback Tom Brady, wide receivers Julian Edelman and Phillip Dorsett, cornerback Stephon Gilmore and running back Brandon Bolden, liked Brown’s post on Instagram. When asked about Brown’s apology during his Wednesday’s press conference, head coach Bill Belichick refused to answer and instead pointed them to Kraft for answers.
"You'd have to talk to Robert about that," said Belichick, insisting that he only wants to talk about the players on his team. In the past, Belichick was asked several times by reporters about players who are not with the Patriots and he immediately rebuffed them by replying “I will talk about players on my team.”
Stephen A. Smith slams Brown’s apology
During Tuesday’s “First Take” on ESPN, noted host Stephen A. Smith didn’t mince a word in hitting Brown for his apology, saying it doesn’t matter anymore. According to Smith, Brown had a chance to reach out and apologize to Kraft after calling him out on social media on Sept. 22, but he failed to do so. Smith believes that Brown only apologized to Kraft after his meeting with the NFL about the allegations thrown at him.
“This is way late. This is way, way, way late. You know, you issue an apology like that almost in the immediate aftermath of doing so,” said Smith.
Sanu not spotted during Wednesday’s practice
The Patriots have returned to the practice field on Wednesday in preparation for their showdown with the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12 on Sunday at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots have been tagged as a 6.5-point favorite over the dangerous Cowboys squad. According to Zach Cox of New England Sports Network (NESN), wide receiver Mohamed Sanu was not spotted during the open media portion of practice. Sanu reportedly suffered an ankle injury during a punt return in their Sunday’s 17-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Fellow wide receiver Phillip Dorsett practiced on Wednesday despite leaving Sunday’s game with a head injury. Cox also reported that a new receiver wearing former Patriot Josh Gordon’s No. 10 jersey. Cox said the unnamed player is likely on the practice squad. Gordon recently signed with the Seattle Seahawks following his release from the Patriots.