Antonio Brown may still have to wait a while to play again

[Steely McBeam]

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Antonio Brown hinted on Friday that he could soon be joining a fourth team, not long before he resolved a January arrest by pleading no contest to multiple charges arising from an altercation with a moving truck driver whom Brown didn’t want to pay. But Brown likely still has a long way to go before he’s cleared to return to the NFL.

For starters, Brown will be disciplined for the January incident. Even though he was a free agent at the time, he remained subject to NFL policies. And he pleaded no contest to two felonies (burglary and battery), serious crimes that entail a minimum prison sentence of one year.

Brown negotiated an outcome that avoids prison time, but the charges remain serious — and the league remains serious about disciplining players who engage in serious off-field misconduct.

Beyond that, the NFL continues to investigate Brown for a civil allegation of sexual assault and rape. Until the league makes a decision as to whether he did or didn’t do it, Brown remains subject to a significant suspension, if the league concludes that he did.

On top of that, Brown remains under investigation for allegedly harassing via text message a woman who spoke out about him to SI.com.

So even if a team is ready to sign Brown, Brown may not be ready to play again, for a while.