By Mardeio Cannon | OBSERVER Columnist

(OPINION) – Happy New Year to all the readers of Cannon’s Comments as I am pleased to say that we are embarking on our 25th year of this column in The Sacramento OBSERVER. 

This is the second launch of this column with The OBSERVER. I had a sports column that ran for a short while and stopped to concentrate on my growing insurance business. A few years after the Sacramento Kings came into town, I had breakfast with the late Dr. William H. Lee (OBSERVER founder and publisher) at his favorite spot — the Pancake Circus on Broadway — and we discussed relaunching my sports column. 

I can truly say that this has been a labor of love ever since. I THANK GOD for allowing me the longevity to produce this column on a regular basis since 1997. I have had a lot of memorable experiences in meeting professional and amateur athletes from all sports and have valued the connections that I have made in my travels as a columnist.

I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to continue this column for as long as I can, to bring you my insights on the world of professional sports and other timely topics as I see fit.

ANTONIO BROWN IS AN EMBARRASSMENT

I am sure that most, if not all, of you have seen Tampa Bay wide receiver Antonio Brown’s latest blow-up that has caused him to be kicked off his third NFL team this past weekend. 

I will not dwell on all of Brown’s outbursts over the years in this column because they are well known. However, I want to address the Antonio Brown apologists who are defending him on social media and some may be reading this column. 

Their first point is that Brown had a right to be angry because he was upset that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were not giving him enough touches so that they wouldn’t have to pay him almost $1 million in incentives for receptions and yardage this season. Well, there is one thing that needs to be brought out: Brown was suspended for three games this season (without pay) for trying to pass a fake COVID-19 vaccination card to the team. If he had not been suspended those three games, he would have easily achieved all of his goals to receive his bonuses. This is the second time that Brown had blown-up just before qualifying to receive millions of dollars.

There also has been some debate on whether Brown would ever play for another NFL team again. I believe that Brown should use some of the money he still has in the bank to get the best professional help possible to control his destructive behavior.

The only way that Brown will ever get back into the NFL again is if Tom Brady would go to another team and again convince the General Manager to bring him on the team, otherwise I believe that Brown’s NFL career is over. 

I hope so because he is an embarrassment to his family, his supporters and the African American community.