Former Central Michigan football standout and NFL star Antonio Brown received his college diploma yesterday, 14 years after he left the school to declare for the 2009 NFL Draft.
A video of Brown at the graduation ceremony was posted on social media Sunday. Check it out here.
Brown re-enrolled at the school in September of 2019. According to an ESPN report from that year, Brown enrolled in online classes, including Introduction to Management, Technical Writing, Death and Dying, and Racism and Equality.
He signed up for the classes four days after the New England Patriots released him.
Brown, a native of Miami Gardens, Florida, was the Pittsburgh Steelers' sixth-round pick (195th overall) in the 2010 NFL Draft. Most of his career successes came during his time with the Steelers between 2010 and 2018, where he was a seven-time Pro Bowler and twice led the league in receptions and receiving yards.
He had two tumultuous stops with the then-Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots before signing with the Tampa Buccaneers in 2020.
The twilight of Brown's career was plagued by erratic behavior and off-the-field criminal accusations ranging from sexual misconduct and sexual assault to rape.
He had a brief albeit rocky tenure as owner of the Albany Empire, an arena football league team earlier this year.
“Let's not lose sight of why I am here. I came back here in a community I grew up in,” said Brown at the time, “to give the people here who grew up like me, and the players here who grew up like my dad, a better opportunity to live out their dreams.”
The Empire's franchise agreement was revoked for failing to pay league dues.