In social media posts, Antonio Brown has appeared to be living a life of luxury in the United Arab Emirates.
In a court-mandated appearance as part of his bankruptcy case, however, he said the reality is different.
Brown fielded questions about his finances and social media activity during an Aug. 1 meeting of creditors in his Chapter 7 bankruptcy case, downplaying the lavish lifestyle that he has appeared to be living in Dubai over the past seven weeks. The former NFL wide receiver said he does not have any cryptocurrency accounts, does not own any jewelry, does not own any of the expensive sports cars that he has been seen driving in social media posts and is not paying rent in the United Arab Emirates.
‘I’m actually staying out here with some people, brother,’ Brown said when asked about his living arrangements.
The 37-year-old declined to specify who owns the property at which he has been staying or who is paying the rent, but he said the person is not an American citizen.
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Brown also indicated that he could soon return to the United States, where he has a warrant out for his arrest after being charged with attempted second-degree murder on June 11. The charge stems from an alleged altercation outside an amateur boxing event on May 16 in Miami.
‘Hopefully, yes,’ Brown said, when asked if he planned to return to the U.S. at some point in the near future.
The question came in the context of scheduling, as Brown will be asked to sit for a deposition in the bankruptcy case. Because he has an active warrant out for his arrest, he likely would be detained by Customs and Border Protection upon returning to the U.S.
A State Department spokesperson declined comment earlier this week when asked by USA TODAY Sports if Brown could be extradited from the United Arab Emirates. The spokesperson cited the department’s longstanding policy to not comment on the possible existence of extradition requests.
Brown filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2024, according to court records, and his case has since been converted to Chapter 7 − a form of bankruptcy in which the court can seize assets and garnish wages to repay creditors. The longtime Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, who publicly estimated that he made more than $100 million during his NFL career, now owes more than $3.5 million to a handful of creditors.
Brown was ordered to appear at Friday’s meeting of creditors, which is also known as a 341 meeting, after previously failing to provide the necessary financial documents to the U.S. trustee overseeing his case, Leslie Osborne. Brown joined the meeting several minutes late from what appeared to be a Dubai hotel room.
Meetings of creditors are not court hearings and they are not overseen by a judge. But they nevertheless play an important role in the early stages of the bankruptcy process, requiring debtors to answer questions about their finances under penalty of perjury. Friday’s meeting was open to members of the public.
Osborne’s attorney, D. Brett Marks, asked Brown several questions about his life in Dubai and some of his activity on social media, including a June 26 post on X in which the former NFL wideout posted a screenshot of an account balance exceeding $24 million with the caption ‘bankrupt over.’ Brown replied that it was an old post and he does not have an account with $24 million.
Brown also offered unclear answers when asked about how he is making money and paying for his current lifestyle. When asked about video clips of himself driving luxurious sports cars that he has posted on social media, he denied owning any cars in the United Arab Emirates, then suggested that such clips might have been manufactured by artificial intelligence. Upon further questioning, Brown said he sometimes has access to sports cars as part of a promotional arrangement with a rental car company.
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Osborne, the trustee tasked with helping Brown pay off his debts, said at the start of the meeting that he had received only two of the requested bank statements from the seven-time Pro Bowler. Brown told Osborne that he would work with his attorney to provide the requested documents − including the original deed of one of the houses he owns in Florida, which could be put up for sale to pay off some of Brown’s debts.
At the most recent court hearing in Brown’s bankruptcy case, on July 24, judge Peter Russin said Brown’s case would be ‘hanging in the balance’ if he did not provide financial documents and follow the court’s rules.
‘I really want to explain to him that he’s got his future in his own hands,’ Russin said during the hearing. ‘He can resolve all these things very simply just by doing what he’s obligated to do anyway, and leave here with his financial situation generally intact.’
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @tomschad.bsky.social.