Meet Eddie Brown, the Father of Antonio Brown
Eddie Brown is one of the most famous players in the AFL (Arena Football League) history. As a college junior, he played two seasons at Louisiana Tech, marking up impressive statistics. He was granted a place to the then Phoenix Cardinals, but his NFL career ended prematurely after he was cut during training camp in 1992.
Eddie made his second shot at a professional football career when he joined the AFL’s Albany Firebirds and became a fan-favorite, earning the nickname “Touchdown Eddie Brown.” Over the years, his stats improved, keeping his good name, and he was voted the greatest player in AFL history in 2006.
Antonio Brown’s Difficult Childhood
Eddie Brown’s successful AFL career didn’t come without its challenges, and following his football dreams ultimately came at the expense of his family life or the absence of it. The former Firebirds’ start was just 18, when Antonio Brown, his first son was born. Eddie had to leave his one-year-old newborn and its mother, Adrianna Moss, behind to chase his career.
Adrianna moved on with a new partner, Larry Moss, and young Antonio didn’t get along well with him. Larry helped to raise Antonio Brown until he turned 16 and practically became homeless. Antonio finally began to find some direction when he started playing college football for Central Michigan. This is when he reconnected with his father for the first time.
The Father-and-Son Relationship
Eddie heard that his son was playing and decided to seize the moment and reconnect with his son, so he went to see him play. However, Antonio Brown didn’t notice him and walked past his father. This didn’t discourage Eddie, who tried again and finally made contact with his son.
At first, it seemed like everything was going well between the father and son. Antonio Brown was right by his father’s side to celebrate Eddie’s retirement. The two had several other events to celebrate together, and Antonio also revealed that he was proud of his father’s accomplishments.
However, this changed when Eddie made a statement that his son might not be able to handle the NFL’s overwhelming pressure. Antonio Brown couldn’t easily ignore that and had an angry post on Twitter:
“My dad a failure with 9 kids working @ups he still pays my mom child support do not take anything he says serious I just bought him a Rolex for waisted [sic] time!!”
This isn’t the first time Antonio buys a Rolex for a relative. A few years ago, he posted a picture of his son and his gift of time. The mother of his three sons, Chelsie Kyrsiss, was seeking full custody of their kids and requested that Antonio’s time with the boys be supervised as she saw him incapable of making decisions that serve their children’s best interests.