Patriots release wide receiver Antonio Brown

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — As it turns out, Antonio Brown wasn't worth the headache.

The Patriots released the wide receiver on Friday. This comes 11 days after the team signed Brown to a one-year deal, worth up to $15 million. Brown's tenure in New England was short, but full of controversy that the Patriots will gladly put behind them.

"The New England Patriots are releasing Antonio Brown," a team spokesperson said in a statement. "We appreciate the hard work of many people over the past 11 days, but we feel that it is best to move in a different direction at this time."

Brown made several posts on Instagram when the news broke. Below a photo of Bill Belichick, Brown wrote, "Appreciate ya." Under a photo of him and Tom Brady, the caption read, "Love ya champ that was fun! #GoWinIt #DoitforMe"

On Twitter, Brown wrote, "Thank you for the opportunity Patriots #GoWinIt."

Brown made his Patriots debut last week in Miami. He led the Pats in targets (eight) while finishing with four receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown. As it turns out, not even his onfield talent could save him from his offfield behavior.

This marks the second time Brown has been released in two weeks.

This year has been full of drama surrounding the five-time Pro Bowl receiver. Even before he came to the Patriots, his offseason with the Oakland Raiders was so ridiculous that even they released Brown after trading multiple draft picks for him. That's what brought him to New England.

In Oakland, the stories were about strange Instagram posts, a mishap during a cryotherapy session and Brown nearly retiring due to a helmet. In Foxborough, the story only got worse as Brown's former trainer Britney Taylor filed a civil lawsuit alleging she was sexually assault on three separate occasions. Taylor claims she was forcibly raped by Brown last year in his Miamiarea home.

The Patriots reportedly were not aware of the civil lawsuit when they signed Brown. The NFL started to investigate the allegations this week, reportedly meeting with Taylor for 10 hours on Monday.

— Mark Daniels, The Providence Journal (Providence, R.I.)