Controversial NFL player Antonio Brown has tried his hand at rapping but may be on to a bad start already. He allegedly tried to rip off a Florida music promoter for more than $500,000.
A lawsuit was filed against Brown in Sarasota County Circuit Court alleging breach of contract and defamation over an “exclusive artist agreement” he signed during the summer with Tampa Bay-based Secure the Bag Entertainment, also known as STB.
It claims Brown tried to beat the company out of $178,000 by submitting “fraudulent” expenses for reimbursement, hawking STB owner Ryan Kane a fake high-end watch for $160,000, and making racist, sexist and threatening remarks towards company execs and others.
The suit comes days after the former All-Pro wide receiver sent a text to a Post reporter saying, “do what u got to do p—y u white boys dead already” when he was asked about a shocking video circulation of him exposing his private parts to guests in a Dubai hotel pool.
Kane told The New York Post he considers Brown nothing but a “liar and a thief.”
“Now I know how the Raiders felt when they paid him [at least $1 million], and he never played a single game for them,” said Kane, referring to the team that severed ties with the unsigned free agent before the 2019 season over a series of off-the-field incidents.
“I gave him … a huge advance and an opportunity to make money legitimately, and all he did was walk off the field.”
Kane said he started his company earlier this year and recruited Brown after they formed a short-lived friendship.
He said he gave Brown a $150,000 advance to sign with the music company and said both parties were initially very excited about shooting a video to promote Brown’s song “Cracked,” which features Lil Wayne. However, the friendship took a bad turn within weeks after Brown signed with STB, Kane added.
Kane said Brown told him that Lil Wayne wanted to be paid “$250,000 in cash” – and receive the money directly from Brown only. Kane then reluctantly gave Brown a $250,000 check. He soon after had reservations and told Brown he was stopping payment — despite being “threatened” by Brown that “the check better be good,” the suit says.
Ryan said he discussed the matter with Lil Wayne’s reps, and they confirmed they never asked Brown to get the money upfront and that Lil Wayne was only expecting to be paid $150,000.
The suit alleges Brown attempted to defraud STB out of the remaining $100,000 to keep for himself.
Things turned for the worse between the parties in late July after Brown returned to Florida following his performance at “Rolling Loud.”
Apparently, Brown attempted to defraud the company again by submitting a jacked-up invoice demanding reimbursement for more than $178,000 in expenses that were “grossly overstated or completely fabricated,” the suit continues. STB had previously agreed to pay for Brown to fly in style on a private jet.
The unauthorized expenses consisted of an $87,000 charge to rent a Los Angeles recording studio for five hours and $8,500 to pay for members of Brown’s entourage to also fly in the private jet.
After STB refused to pay the charges, Brown made “defamatory statements on social media about STB writing bad checks and not paying their bills,” the suit reads.
Brown has scored some fame since turning to rap. His performance video at Rolling Loud has already garnered more than 3.1 million views on Twitter. Although Brown claims that his contract with STB isn’t exclusive and doesn’t give up his ability to record music outside the network, Ryan strongly disagrees.
“Everyone is saying his rap career is blossoming, but his rap career is dead,” insisted Kane. “I own the rights to all his music. He can’t release any music for the rest of his life unless I approve it.”
The suit seeks unspecified monetary damages.
Discover more from Baller Alert
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
