Ex-NFL star Antonio Brown was accused of misleading the court about his health, to reschedule an important hearing but then showing up on Joe Rogan’s podcast hours later, In Touch can exclusively report.
The trustee presiding over Antonio’s bankruptcy slammed him in a motion asking the court to covert the case from a Chapter 11 to a Chapter 7, where the trustee would likely have more authority of Antonio’s finances.
The trustee also suggested dismissing the entire bankruptcy.
In the motion, the trustee claimed a hearing took place on March 5 on Antonio’s proposed plan to pay his debt. Antonio’s lawyer told the court their client was unable to attend the hearing due to “medical-related” issues.
The trustee said the court granted Antonio a continuance and postponed the hearing.
However, the trustee said it learned that Antonio was “not in poor health” and that he “participated as an invited guest on The Joe Rogan Experience (a podcast) for 98 minutes the next very next day in Austin, Texas.”
The trustee included a photo that Antonio posted to X showing him at Joe’s podcast studio.
On top of the Joe Rogan podcast appearance issue, the trustee had questions about Antonio’s financial numbers submitted in the case.
The trustee wrote, “[Antonio’s] fourth amended schedules disclose monthly income of $35,000 and monthly expenses of $27,927. These figures, when compared to the income and expenses reported on the monthly operating reports, are negligently or intentionally misleading.”
The trustee argued, “The Debtor’s gross mismanagement by failing to accurately report income and expenses is cause for dismissal or conversion.”
“Aside from the disclosure discrepancies and insufficiencies, the incomplete and inaccurate monthly operating reports, and lack of fulsome amendments to address the same, the Debtor’s absence of honesty, by claiming an inability to attend the specially set confirmation hearing due to a feigned medical illness (yet flying to Texas for a podcast the next day at the latest), evidences the Debtor’s bad faith conduct and eliminates any need to continue this reorganization,” the trustee said.
As In Touch previously reported, Antonio, who earned over $80 million during his NFL career, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2023. In court documents, the ex-NFL star claimed he had liabilities exceeding $3 million.
Antonio’s debts included a $1.2 million judgment from a civil lawsuit, another potential six-figure sum owed to a jeweler, $300,000 to a marketing firm, $170,000 in credit card debt, $170,000 owed for legal services and another $100,000 in various unpaid bills.
Late last year, Antonio was accused of failing to properly disclose all of his property and assets as part of the case.
The court-appointed trustee, who was put in charge to work on Antonio’s finances and handle his debts, claimed the professional athlete had failed to disclose he transferred three properties before he filed for Chapter 11.
The trustee also took issue with Antonio not listing his X, formerly known as Twitter, account on his list of assets, and claimed he failed to provide operating reports required in bankruptcy court.
At the time, the trustee also claimed the numbers submitted by Antonio in court were “contradictory.”
The trustee wrote, “[Antonio’s] failure to disclose transactions and report accurate financials evidence that [Antonio] did not propose the Plan in good faith and necessitates denial of confirmation.”
The judge has yet to rule.
