ALBANY – The National Arena League announced Thursday it is terminating the membership agreement of the Albany Empire.
The league said in a news release the decision was reached “after an emergency conference call of the members in good standing to discuss the Empire’s failure to pay their league-mandated and overdue assessments.”
The NAL said each team is responsible to pay for one-seventh of the league’s operating budget via monthly assessments starting in April. The league also said Empire majority owner Antonio Brown was also fined $1,000 for conduct detrimental to the league for recent public comments. Brown refused to pay the fine, according to the league.
The Empire was scheduled to play the Jacksonville Sharks on Saturday at MVP Arena. The NAL said it will be adjusting the rest of the 2023 regular season schedule and will announce the updated schedule in the near future.
The Empire is 1-6 and had lost its last six games.
“Major league not minors,” Brown tweeted shortly after the announcement. He didn’t immediately respond to a text for reaction.
Brown, the former All-Pro wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, practiced with the Empire on Wednesday in preparation to possibly play in Saturday’s game. Afterward, he said the Empire would be leaving the NAL after the season for the Arena Football League, which is returning next year.
“We’ve got a lot to be excited about here,” Brown said Wednesday. “Don’t let the minutiae of people distract us. This is the last year in the NAL Next year we’re going to the AFL. Not a lot of owners around here have got this type of money to even be in this league.”
Brown wasn’t present at Thursday morning’s practice. Head coach Moe Leggett, the team’s fourth head coach of the season, said he didn’t know why.
The NAL’s move isn’t completely without precedent. Last December, the league…
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