Antonio Brown Tweets Shannon Sharpe, Ben Roethlisberger Sexual Assault Reports

Free-agent wide receiver Antonio Brown responded to criticism levied against him by FS1's Shannon Sharpe, tweeting out sexual assault accusations made against Sharpe in 2010, then later deleting those tweets.

Brown also brought up Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who was suspended six games in 2010—later appealed down to four games—after he was accused of sexual assault:

Sharpe took aim at Brown in several tweets over the weekend:

And he also responded to Brown's deleted tweets later Sunday morning:

Brown wasn't done there either.

His Sunday morning barrage of tweets—most of them since deleted—also included him stating he would never play in the NFL again, bringing up the fact New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was charged with two misdemeanor counts of first-degree solicitation in February and seeming to express satisfaction that SI.com's Robert Klemko—who broke the story on the artist who accused Brown of sexual misconduct and who accused Brown of sending her intimidating text messages—was receiving death threats:

Much of Brown's ire seems to be over the fact that the Patriots, much like the Oakland Raiders when they cut him, are likely to void the guarantees in his contract. Brown's agreement with the Pats included $10 million in guaranteed money, $9 million of which was to come in the form of a signing bonus. The first $5 million of that bonus was to be sent to Brown on Monday, Sept. 23, according to a report from Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

But Rapoport noted that the Pats are unlikely to send it:

"The belief from all parties is that the Patriots will not cut the check, withholding the money instead and forcing Brown to file a grievance for money he believes was fully guaranteed.

"Thanks in part to confidential settlement talks with the first accuser that were ongoing when he signed, Brown did not disclose the accusations to the Patriots, and the Patriots tie the signing bonus language to forfeiture language. Their argument will likely be that he did not come clean on an issue that altered his ability to play."

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the same:

So thus far, Brown's calendar year has included being traded to the Oakland Raiders after his relationship with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Roethlisberger deteriorated; missing time during training camp due to frostbitten feet and a dispute with the NFL over his helmet; eventually getting cut by Oakland after a confrontation with general manager Mike Mayock and a public request to be released; signing with the Patriots; being accused in a lawsuit by one woman, Britney Taylor, of sexual assault on three separate occasions, including rape on one of those occasions, and being accused by another woman of sexual misconduct; and being released by the Patriots before this latest Twitter firestorm. 

And if his latest tweets are to be believed, that whirlwind of a year will also be his last in the NFL.