Antonio Brown's Arena Football Team Is Averaging 1.7 Head Coaches Per Week Amid Internal Mayhem, League-Worst Record
Antonio Brown's first two months as the majority owner of an arena football team has not gone well. Not only is the Albany Empire terrible, a year after winning the National Arena League championship, the management has been even worse.
A chaotic revolving door of head coaches highlights an impressive amount of attempted changes and failures. Brown has attempted a dozen head coaching changes. 12. In two months.
The whole thing got started back at the beginning of March when Brown purchased the Empire. His father once starred for the Albany Firebirds, so there was an emotional tie to the team.
Not long thereafter, he was removed from the field ahead of his first game as owner.
And then multiple players and coaches left the team after not receiving game checks on time. Brown got defensive about the missed payments and ensured that everybody had been paid (late).
Less than a month later, Brown announced a date for his return to football. He was going to suit up for Albany and marketed the team's upcoming game as such.
That is not what happened. Brown did not play.
Amidst all of the controversy, Brown tried to lure Cam Newton to the Empire with a six-figure promise. Newton has not accepted, or acknowledged, the offer to this point.
This unfortunate series of events does not include the coaching mayhem.
Antonio Brown keeps changing head coaches.
Whether Brown wants to or not, he has been unable to retain a permanent head coach. There have been 12 (!!) different coaching changes, or attempted coaching changes, since his arrival in upstate New York. Buckle up, because it has been (and will continue to be) a wild ride.
Tom Means was set to coach Albany in 2023. He was fired just 10 days before the season.
Damon Ware replaced Ware for Week 1. After the failed payment issues, Ware left.
Menas was rehired to replace Ware, who replaced Menas.
Menas resigned after the Empire's fourth-straight loss. That was the fifth coaching change.
In wake of Menas' departure, Brown told local reporter Rodger Wyland that he had hired Albany-area high school football coach John Audino. Audino had not accepted the job. He ultimately passed.
One day later, it was announced that Pete Porcelli would take over. That is what happened.
However, after losing just one game, Porcelli was demoted.
Porcelli was pissed.
He's changing coaches and players every single week and I was trying to build it from the ground up again. I had no say on personnel, no say on really anything. It's too bad he's duping the fans and he's insulting the city of Albany saying he's playing and saying (former NFL quarterback) Cam Newton's coming. It's an embarrassment to Albany.
With Porcelli out, Brown announced that Iowa Barnstormers defensive coordinator Terrence Foster was to be his replacement. That was on June 1.
It was announced on Sunday, three days later, that Foster declined the job. Maurice Leggett was named as the interim head coach.
Who is Maurice Leggett?
Leggett was on the Empire's roster as a defensive back until last week. His retirement was made official on June 2, along with multiple other roster moves.
Albany Empire
Leggett was named head coach on June 4. As of Monday, June 5, he is still the head coach.
Will Leggett make it through the season? Will he make it through the week? Heck, will he even make it to Wednesday?!
At this rate, the Albany Empire are averaging 1.7 head coaches per week through the first seven weeks of the season. Brown's team is 1-6 during that stretch. It is the worst record (tied) in the league.