JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The National Arena League has terminated the membership agreement of the Albany Empire, the football team owned by troubled former NFL receiver Antonio Brown, and removed the team from the league it announced on Thursday afternoon.
The decision affects the Jacksonville Sharks, which were scheduled to face the Empire on Saturday night. Instead, the Sharks will have the week off. The Sharks will remain 6-2 pending June 26 home game against the Carolina Cobras.
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. “While we are saddened by the actions the league had to take, we will make sure that our fans have the same number of home games as before,” Sharks ticketing manager David Diana said in a release. “We are in the process of seeing what options we have to make that happen.”
The NAL board voted unanimously to remove the Empire after numerous financial issues and Brown’s failure to pay monthly assessments. Brown had also been fined $1,000 for conduct detrimental to the league. Brown has not paid that fine.
Brown’s accountant, Alex Gunaris, told the NAL that Brown didn’t seem like he “was going to pay the assessment or fine.”
“Once the league was alerted of Mr. Brown’s intentions, an emergency conference call was set up. During the call, it was decided to give the Empire until Thursday at noon to make their payment, after which time the league would be forced to cancel their home game with Jacksonville, and terminate their membership in the National Arena League effective immediately,” the league said in a statement. “Unfortunately Mr. Brown has failed to meet the deadline to his teams required financial obligations, and as a result the league has terminated his membership Agreement.”
Brown became the majority owner of the Empire last April. Teams are required to pay one-seventh of the NAL operating budget each month.