“The Problem” can’t seem to avoid living up to his moniker, and now you can add Teddy Atlas to the list of people who want to right the wrongs of Adrien Broner’s list of lifetime shortcomings.
Days after Broner was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence and was held overnight in a Miami-Dade County jail earlier this month, the Hall of Famer trainer Atlas opined on the fighter’s future during his talk show "The Fight with Teddy Atlas.”
“I don’t want to make fun of anyone’s expenses. It’s sad, the kid needs help,” Atlas said of Broner. “I’m from the place where I had to learn to be accountable for myself. I made plenty of mistakes in my life, and I made them and I corrected them.
"You shouldn’t be protected. The people around [Broner] have a responsibility ... I’m just saying that these people that have been around him and made money with him, maybe they have to take a little responsibility ... When you’re around a fighter and he’s doing something wrong in the ring, you tell them."
Broner was also arrested on Feb. 21 on one count of misdemeanor trespassing at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas one day before the rematch between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury took place.
In 2018, Broner was arrested in an Atlanta mall on charges of misdemeanor sexual battery. Four months later in Cleveland, Broner was arrested for allegedly throwing himself on top of a woman at a nightclub and forcing her to kiss him.
In 2017, Broner was arrested in Kentucky after officers pulled over his car, which had several bullet holes in it. At the time of the incident, Broner had a warrant for his arrest after failing to appear in court for a previous arrest in 2014 for disorderly conduct and alcohol intoxication.
In 2016, Broner was accused of felony assault and aggravated robbery charges of a man during a gambling dispute outside a bowling alley. Broner was ordered to county jail for 30 days for a contempt charge after failing to show up on time for his own trial during this case.
The 30-year-old Broner (33-4-1, 24 KOs) is a four-division titlist who last fought as a welterweight in a one-sided loss to Manny Pacquiao over a year ago. His future in the ring remains uncertain, as no sizable steam seemed to be picking up to match the fighter in the squared circle. With the global pandemic of coronavirus stalling the sweet science’s foreseeable schedule, it could be a while more till the boxing world sees Broner in a bout.
"They seem to have tolerated some of his obnoxious behavior, and some of the stuff that was bad stuff to be seen,” continued Atlas. "Let’s stop it. Let’s stop it and nip it in the bud, and let’s say something. I just wish [Broner] had people around him.
"[Broner] needs help. It’s sad that he’s destroying himself. Is it the first time seeing this with a promising athlete or a person that has talent in any area ... It’s just too bad when you see it."
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist and member of the Boxing Writers Assn. of America since 2011. He has written for the likes of the LA Times, Guardian, USA Today, Philadelphia Inquirer, Men’s Health and NFL.com and currently does TV commentary for combat sports programming that airs on Fox Sports and hosts his own radio show in Los Angeles. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan or via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com.