Antonio Brown may not have meant to create controversy with his actions over the past two days, but the combination of a provocative tweet and his absence at practice on Monday led to questions over whether there was a rift between the wide receiver and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Brown’s frustration first surfaced on Sunday, when he was seen confronting offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner during the third quarter of Pittsburgh’s 42-37 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Brown Response to Criticism: ‘Trade Me’
On Monday, Brown was the subject of a tweet by former Steelers employee Ryan Scarpino.
“AB needs to thank his lucky stars, because he was drafted by a team that had Ben,” Scarpino wrote. “And Ben got AB paid. You know darn well he wouldn’t put up those numbers for other teams.”
Brown had a quick and decisive response to that opinion.
“Trade me let’s find out,” Brown tweeted.
While that was far from a demand to be moved to a new team, it was still enough to create headlines and fuel fan speculation that Brown might be happier playing elsewhere. It was also the second time in a week that Brown caught heat for his social media posts. Last Wednesday, Brown had to apologize after threatening ESPN writer Jesse Washington over a story he wrote about the Steelers star on The Undefeated.
Talk of problems between Brown and the Steelers only intensified later Monday when it emerged that Brown didn’t show up for team meetings or film review. He was also absent during media availability on Monday afternoon. Worse still, head coach Mike Tomlin didn’t seem to know why his No. 1 wide receiver wasn’t at practice.
Agent Calls Incidents a ‘Non-Story’
On Tuesday, Brown’s agent Drew Rosenhaus tried to play down the events of the past 48 hours.
“The tweet yesterday was not in reference to anything other than Antonio responding to a person he knows,” Rosenhaus told reporters. “It was not directed toward a trade, or wanting to be traded. It was a personal response to a former Steelers employee who insulted him.”
Rosenhaus also provided a reason for Brown’s absence from practice.
“Yesterday, he had a personal matter,” Rosenhaus said. “I talked to the team about it. His issue was unrelated to the tweet or his relationship with the team.”
Finally, the agent also said that the sideline confrontations between Brown and his coaches were a reflection of his intensity and his desire to win, not a sign of friction.
“This is a non-story that has been blown out of proportion,” he said. “We can end this right here and now.”
The Steelers’ season has gotten off to a rocky start. The team has yet to win a game, tying the Cleveland Browns in Week 1 before their loss to the Chiefs on Sunday. Pittsburgh has been without star running back Le’Veon Bell, who is holding out in hopes of signing a long-term deal with the team.
Antonio Brown is in his ninth year in the NFL. He has spent his entire career with the Steelers, during which time he has caught 60 touchdown passes, compiled more than 10,000 receiving yards, and has been named an All-Pro four times.