Seahawks reportedly did due diligence on Antonio Brown

While the Seattle Seahawks have a new offensive weapon on the roster in former New England Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon, Adam Schefter reported this morning that quarterback Russell Wilson had lobbied the team to sign another former Patriot receiver.

Antonio Brown, of course, has caused quite a stir this year, with his antics first leading the Pittsburgh Steelers to trade him to the Oakland Raiders, and then running an entire soap opera of an operation in his time with the Raiders. Whether it was dealing with a freak foot injury suffered during a cryotherapy treatment or a dispute about a helmet, Brown’s time with the Raiders was nothing short of interesting, culminating with his release in early September.

Following his tumultuous time with Oakland, Brown quickly signed with the Patriots. However, it did not take long for more issues to surface, which included a civil suit filed against Brown in federal court that included allegations of rape. While the accuser in that case has since withdrawn her federal case against Brown, she has refiled in Florida and a second woman has made allegations of improper conduct by Brown. That all combined to make for a short stay in New England, as the Patriots released Brown less than two weeks after initially signing him.

In the time since his release, Brown has filed multiple grievances over guaranteed salary which teams have indicated they will not pay, and he has yet to find another team willing to sign him. With everything that is out there in the public domain about Brown and his baggage, it makes one wonder how much due diligence the Seahawks would need to do.

In any case, this is evidence of the team leaving no stone unturned towards the goal of always competing, but it’s certainly a stone that many would much rather the team bury.