Antonio Brown never misses a chance to stir the pot. When news broke that Floyd Mayweather filed a $175 million lawsuit alleging he got completely wiped out by his former money manager, the legendary NFL wide receiver was ready to troll the boxer.
Antonio Brown Couldn’t Resist Taking a Shot After Floyd Mayweather’s $175 Million Lawsuit
Brown posted a short response on X: “50 cent was right, he can’t read.”
The former Pittsburgh Steelers star was referring to the time 50 Cent mocked Mayweather after the boxer expressed interest in fighting him.
At the time, 50 Cent posted on Instagram: “The fight is off because Floyd cant read 2 paragraphs of my New York Times best seller (Hustle Harder Hustle Smarter) on IG live,” alongside the cover of his book.
Regarding the lawsuit, Mayweather claims he was betrayed by someone in his inner circle. The complaint accuses Jona Rechnitz, a close associate and de facto money manager, of spending years building trust before allegedly taking advantage of it.
The numbers in this lawsuit are wild. Rechnitz allegedly pledged nearly $100 million in jewelry belonging to Mayweather to two Miami-based dealers. Only $13 million came back. A substantial chunk of that jewelry still sits with the dealers today.
It doesn’t stop there. In July 2024, Mayweather allegedly wired $7.5 million into what was supposed to be a 12-month investment. No investment was ever made. The money vanished. Rechnitz is also accused of siphoning millions from commercial real estate settlements and property refinancing deals, all without Mayweather’s authorization.
Ayal Frist, who ran a Florida-based firm called Frist Apex Ventures, is also named in the suit. The complaint claims Frist actually represented himself as a manager of Vada Properties, Mayweather’s real estate firm, without ever being appointed to the role.
Vada’s website even listed Frist as CEO at one point. According to the lawsuit, Mayweather never gave him that title.
Where does Brown fit into all of this? Brown and Mayweather used to be close. After Brown’s chaotic exit from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in early 2022, Mayweather publicly went to bat for him.
He even offered a wild proposal: sign Brown, and if he caused trouble, Mayweather would pay the team $20 million. If Brown behaved, the team would owe them the same.
Brown also appeared in Mayweather’s corner at an exhibition match in Abu Dhabi that same year. Things seemed solid between them.
That changed fast. Later in 2022, a video leaked of Brown in a Dubai hotel pool went viral. Brown publicly hinted that Mayweather was behind the leak, suggesting professional jealousy was the motive.
He posted old clips of Mayweather looking bothered while fans rushed past him to get photos with Brown instead. The friendship was done.
Mayweather has his hands full on multiple legal fronts. He’s also the plaintiff in a separate $340 million suit against Showtime, alleging financial fraud. And the IRS filed a nearly $7.3 million lien against him earlier this year for unpaid taxes.
The man who once called himself “Money” is ironically dealing with money problems.
