Antonio Brown boasts of ‘having money’ amid bankruptcy six months after claiming to have less than $50K

Antonio Brown’s financial struggles took a bizarre turn this week when the former NFL wide receiver claimed to be living the life of the idle rich despite filing for bankruptcy six months earlier.

‘I’m just enjoying the freedom that comes with having money,’ Brown told rapper and podcaster Yung Miami during the latest episode of her show, Caresha Please.

To many, the comment wouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, he made a reported $80 million over a dozen NFL seasons ending in January of 2022. 

But after declaring bankruptcy in May, Brown’s claim of ‘having money’ appears ill-advised in light of his ongoing Chapter 11 proceedings. 

‘Somebody might use the statement as a reason to take his deposition, for example, or perhaps ask about it in a deposition,’ Illinois law professor and bankruptcy expert Robert Lawless told DailyMail.com by email. ‘Looming in the background of a lot of the proceedings in bankruptcy court is the idea that the debtor is acting in good faith. A statement like this does not help.’

‘Mr. Brown is just confirming what all of the creditors already believe to be true, that he filed a false bankruptcy claim when he was never actually bankrupt,’ attorney Mason Wolfe told DailyMail.com in an email. 

Wolfe represents Ryan Kane, who is among several claimants involved in the ongoing bankruptcy proceedings in hopes of being repaid by Brown. 

It was only six months ago that Brown admitted to owing between $1 million and $10 million while claiming less than $50,000 in assets, according to filings obtained by DailyMail.com. An Albany Times-Union report at the time asserted Brown owed $3 million to eight creditors, not to mention several other costly court rulings.

For instance, a Florida truck driver who was allegedly assaulted by Brown was awarded a $1.2 million judgement. Meanwhile, Wolfe’s client was awarded $225,370.10 after suing Brown over the sale of what proved to be a fake Richard Mille watch.

Then there was his peculiar tenure as owner of an arena team, the Albany Empire, which ended with the National Arena League terminating the franchise agreement and Brown failing to pay fees and fines. 

At one point in the saga his representatives at the time told reporters the team was actually controlled by a trust, Antonio El-Allah Express Trust Enterprise, which has since resurfaced in his ongoing bankruptcy proceedings.

One of Brown’s Florida properties, in Odessa, is valued at $3.8 million on Zillow. Brown moved the home into a trust he controls in 2023 at a cost of just $10

According to deed disclosures provided to DailyMail.com by Kane’s attorney and confirmed by Brown’s, the 36-year-old former NFL star moved two of his Florida properties into the Antonio El-Allah Express Trust Enterprise at a cost of $10 each in 2023.

One of the Florida properties, in Odessa, is valued at $3.8 million on Zillow, while a Tampa home is estimated to be worth $2.1 million. 

Brown was accused in Kane’s March lawsuit in Broward County, Florida of using the trust to shield properties from collectors.

‘Defendant listed zero real estate property, and when asked ”Have you give, sold, loaned, or transferred any real property or personal property worth more than $100 to any person in the last year” he answered ”N/A,” the filing reads. 

‘It is a matter of public record that Defendant has transferred his two properties into a trust owned by himself approximately 10 months prior to his trial in this case It is clear and undeniable, that Defendant has fraudulently transferred two of his properties, one of which is valued of up to $9,000,000.00 (where he currently resides), into his personal trust in an effort to escape collectability.’

A Tampa home owned by Antonio Brown is estimated to be worth $2.1 million (pictured). Brown moved the home into a trust he controls in 2023 at a cost of just $10 

Brown flashes some jewelry in Atlanta in 2023 months before moving homes into a trust 

Brown provided just one bank statement in that trial, listing a balance of $3.91, but despite this, wrote about placing a $1,500 Super Bowl bet on social media.

‘This bet had to have left some bank account, but according to Defendant he only had $3.91 in his account just one month earlier,’ the filing explains. 

In response to an email from DailyMail.com, Brown’s current attorney, Joe Grant, said he was unaware of his client’s claim of being wealthy on Yung Miami’s podcast. Grant added that while he has no comment, ‘we are working with all creditors to confirm a Chapter 11 plan.’

Asked if Brown is indeed working with creditors on a Chapter 11 plan, Kane’s attorney Mason Wolfe did not dispute Grant’s claim.

DailyMail.com has also reached out to other creditors and collectors named in Brown’s ongoing bankruptcy.

One of Kane’s attorneys, Joel Aresty, told DailyMail.com that ‘actual payment is promised but indeterminate at the present time.’