Sports Illustrated’s Robert Klemko has published a long story about Antonio Brown and his various business and personal relationships. Through interviews and the examination of court documents and police reports, Klemko outlines a pattern of behavior that is defined by accusations of refusing to pay for services, bizarre encounters with police and other associates, and another allegation of sexual harassment.
One piece of Klemko’s report comes from an artist who says she met Brown at a charity event in Pittsburgh. At the event, Brown offered to pay $700 for a portrait of himself that the artist had made—according to the artist and the co-founder of the charity that hosted the event, Brown took the painting but never ended up paying for it—and then invited her to his home in Pittsburgh to paint a mural on one of his home’s walls. The artist says Brown agreed to pay her $1,000 per day of work, but things went wrong just two days into the project:
After arriving at his home, the woman at first thought nothing of Brown’s flirtations—an uncomfortable yet constant reality of her professional life—and she was thrilled by his willingness to share her work on social media; he even posted a live video showcasing her progress. “It was very exciting, to have this person interested in my work,” the woman says. “He acted like he trusted me and he let me do my thing.”
On her second day, however, the atmosphere curdled. The artist says at one point she was in a kneeling position while painting and turned to find Brown behind her, naked, holding a small hand towel over his genitals. “He was flirty with me but I paid him no mind because I was there on business, plus, I had already seen him with multiple girls in the short time I was with him,” says the woman. “I was about 40% done on the second day, and I’m on my knees painting the bottom, and he walks up to me butt-ass naked, with a hand cloth covering his [penis] and starts having a conversation with me.” She took it as a clear sexual come-on. “Unfortunately, I’ve been tried [by men] a lot of times, so I just kept my cool and kept painting,” she says. “After that, it all ended abruptly.”
The artist told SI that Brown left for Miami the next day, and she never heard from him about finishing the mural. She says he eventually paid her $2,000 for her two days of work, but otherwise cut off contact with her. But she did tell some friends about what happened, and they told her about the lawsuit filed about Brown.
Klemko’s story is full of other bizarre anecdotes and accusations about Brown. You can read the whole thing here.