Former New England Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown could return to the NFL during the 2020 season, but he'll have to serve an eight-game suspension first.
The free agent wideout has been suspended for the first eight games of the regular season, the league announced Friday. Brown's suspension is for "multiple violations of the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy," the league said in a press release.
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Here's more from the league's release:
If he is signed before the start of the 2020 season, Brown would be eligible to participate in all of his club's preseason activities. Brown's suspension would take effect as of the final roster reduction on September 5. He would be eligible to return after the team's eighth game.
As part of the discipline, Brown was directed to continue his program of counseling and treatment, and that he is expected fully to cooperate with his clinicians.
NFL Media's Tom Pelissero summed up Brown's situation with the following tweet:
The 32-year-old wideout last played for the New England Patriots in a Week 2 (Sept. 15) matchup against the Miami Dolphins last season. It was his first and only game with the Patriots before they released him on Sept. 20.
It's unknown if Brown will ever play another game in the NFL. The Seattle Seahawks reportedly have done a "deep dive" on Brown, but it's unknown how much (if any) interest they have in actually signing him. Brown also talked about retiring -- not the first time that's happened over the last year -- in a bunch of tweets posted July 20.