Bad news for Antonio Brown. The former NFL wideout, whose controversies and sometimes concerning behavior have followed him off the field, has filed for bankruptcy, according to a Times Union report.
His media company confirmed the news on X (formerly Twitter): “NFL legend Antonio Brown has filed bankruptcy today. He will be a first ballot hall of famer in 2027. He will be releasing new music this summer. He’s also the founder of the most trusted source in all of sports. The generational run continues.”
Brown owes nearly $3 million to at least eight creditors, according to the Times Union. He also claims to have assets worth $50,000 or less.
But what will become of his expensive real estate?
Pricey properties
The star wide receiver has bought and sold homes throughout his NFL career. He owned a Pennsylvania estate when he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, which he finally sold in 2021. He also acquired a San Francisco Bay Area home when he had a brief stint with the Oakland Raiders, which he bought in 2019 and then sold in 2020.
There were ominous signs for Brown’s financial future: Both homes were sold at a loss.
The outspoken pass catcher also had a stint with the New England Patriots and last played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he won a Super Bowl championship alongside QB Tom Brady.
He currently owns three Florida properties, one of which is his primary residence in Fort Lauderdale. Let’s take a look.
Fort Lauderdale mansion
Brown’s main crib is an over-the-top mansion that he purchased for $6.6 million in 2016. It’s now valued at over $8 million, according to Realtor.com®.
The 12-bedroom, 18,000-square-foot residence includes a home theater, wet bar, gym, elevator, and enormous closet (it holds the athlete’s sneaker collection). There’s even a synagogue.
A video tour of the home in 2018 revealed that Brown favored Gucci suits, kept a lion sculpture in his closet, and held on to the synagogue that came with the home because his Jewish friends liked the feature.
“Synagogue is where you bless up,” he said in the video.
Two more homes in the Sunshine State
Brown owns two other Florida estates: a brand-new modern farmhouse in Tampa he picked up for $1.8 million in 2022 and a 9,000-square-foot lakefront mansion in Odessa that he purchased for $2.9 million in 2021.
The Tampa home is just blocks from the water and has 4,000 square feet of living space, including five bedrooms. Naturally, it comes with a pool.
The Odessa estate, just north of Tampa, sits on 2 acres and includes a pool and boat dock. It was touted as a “car collector’s dream” thanks to an air-conditioned garage with space for 11 vehicles.
Could Brown lose his Florida houses?
So given that Brown still holds valuable real estate assets, how will his homes be affected by the bankruptcy filing?
“Florida has very generous homestead exemptions that protect the equity in your home if you file for bankruptcy. That’s why a lot of celebrities, entrepreneurs, and athletes like basing themselves in Florida as their primary residence,” says Cara Ameer, a bicoastal agent with Coldwell Banker licensed in California and Florida.
Filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy is “the most costly and complex,” she adds. “Chapter 11 bankruptcy allows a company to stay in business and restructure its obligations and is court-supervised.”
So while his primary home might be safe, Brown’s other two Florida homes might not stay in his possession for much longer.
“The primary residence is the most protected because you can only claim homestead exemption in Florida on one residence, and not any others,” Ameer points out. “It may be he has to sell his other homes that are not his primary residence in Florida to pay off his creditors.”
