I've said all along that Antonio Brown is a neophyte as a sports owner. It certainly shows.
The Albany Empire have lost 5 in a row after blowing a 3rd quarter lead and falling to Fayetteville, 47-29, on Saturday. 24 hours later, Pete Porcelli was dismissed as head coach.
Not even the late George Steinbrenner was this impulsive.
With a bye week this week giving Brown two weeks to find a coach, it's going to be even harder to find someone who can stick beyond a week.
Damon Ware lasted three games.
Tom Menas returned, lost two games, and resigned.
Pete Porcelli lasted a week.
If Brown is still looking for a solution to his problems with the team, he needs only look in the mirror.
Yeah, it's his fault. Would Cam Newton actually agree to come to Albany for mere peanuts, given Brown's behavior? Somehow, I doubt it. The Empire, when they travel to Orlando for their next game, will have their 4th coach in 7 games. The once proud franchise is now a laughingstock because they let Brown, with his CTE issues and God knows what else, con them into buying them.
Minority owners Steve & Charlotte Von Schiller didn't have a say in the decision to dump Porcelli, a respected coach who has been a success in Section 2 football. Porcelli, for his part, has to be disappointed that Brown gave him a short leash. Brown's father, "Touchdown" Eddie Brown, is the GM, but did he do anything to try to control his son's impulses? Apparently, no. A Steelers fan site says that Brown's claims of playing on Saturday (and not playing) were a publicity stunt. It seemed to work in that regard, but Brown's not going to be happy unless the Empire can regain its winning ways. No coach in the league, past or present, or anywhere in the 518, is going to want to work for him after this.
The solution, then, is for Brown to forget about playing. Have his father take over as coach. Eddie Brown was a respected star in the 90's, but that star has been dimmed because of his son's inability to run the team.
The for sale sign will be up come July, after the Empire fails to make the playoffs. I shan't be surprised if Brown pulls a Bob John Ray and disappears after the season, after the league is forced to take the team from him, which I think could happen. And it has to.
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