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Antonio Brown’s latest problem could also arise from his failure to disclose his latest problem to the NFL.
The NFL had no prior knowledge of Brown’s October 15 incident, according to the NFL’s in-house media group. If that’s true, and surely it is because it comes straight from the NFL, the NFL has different grounds for disciplining Brown.
Although Brown was not arrested or charged, the NFL’s personal conduct policy imposes a comprehensive, mandatory reporting obligation on any player involved in any incident that may be a violation of the personal conduct policy.
“The league’s personal conduct policy explains that” failure to report an incident would be a ground for disciplinary action. “This obligation to report is broader than just reporting an arrest; it requires the league to report any incident that comes to the attention of the club or the player, if the allegations are true, violating the policy.”
In other words, the fact that Brown was involved in an incident that created sufficient probable reasons for his arrest forced Brown to report to the League for the misdemeanor, even if the charges were not eventually suppressed. It is also safe to assume that, given Brown’s extensive history of field-to-field issues, someone from the NFL confirmed that Brown knew he would immediately contact league office fees to determine if Brown had any other incidents. He was arrested.
Even without an additional level of advice, Brown had a duty to let the league know about the October 15 incident. He obviously didn’t. If the league tends to do so, it may be enough for the league to take quick and immediate action against Brown.
Ultimately, that’s what it comes down to. The league has the ability to do whatever it wants, whenever it wants, however it wants to deal with any and all incidents of player misconduct. And so, with Brown, the league will do what it wants in this case, when it wants to, however it wants to.
