Antonio Brown says he does.
“I’m the owner, 100 percent owner. I don’t take that lightly,” Brown said Saturday afternoon by phone. “My job as the owner (is) to provide the players and community, the front office, everyone that experience, the experience of Albany, and I’m excited about that role.”
Brown, the former NFL All-Pro wide receiver whose career has been marked by controversy, joined the Empire in March as a co-owner alongside Mike Kwarta, with Charlotte and Steve von Schiller as minority partners.
Brown said he bought Kwarta out: “I just think Mike couldn’t afford the things in regards of (moving) the business forward.”
However, Kwarta said there’s been no change in ownership since Brown first joined the team. He and Brown each own 47.5 percent of the team, with the von Schillers owning the remaining five percent.
Brown said he paid $1.5 million for worker’s compensation insurance so the team could practice in New York.
But Kwarta countered that, too. The Albany Empire, he said, has paid $774,042 for worker’s compensation insurance to date.
The Empire open their season Sunday, hosting the Orlando Predators at MVP Arena. It will be their first game as a National Arena League franchise without coach Tom Menas, who led the team to back-to-back championships. Menas was let go on April 13 because, Kwarta said at the time, the team was heading in a different direction. Offensive coordinator Damon Ware was promoted to head coach.
The Empire’s ownership situation has been the subject of rumors in the last two weeks. WNYT’s Rodger Wyland mentioned a possible 80/20 split of the team, with Brown owning 80 percent, the day Menas’s departure was announced.
Ryan Larkin, an associate of Brown’s, said Thursday that Brown did own 80 percent of the…
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