Antonio Brown has yet to speak publicly since reports have been swirling about him bailing on his teammates last week and asking the Pittsburgh Steelers for a trade, but he did share an interesting message on social media.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was asked numerous questions about Brown’s recent behavior during his press conference on Wednesday, and he did not exactly defend the star receiver. Tomlin essentially admitted Brown went AWOL and quit on his teammates before a must-win game.
Mike Tomlin: "He was absent due to injury and lack of communication."
— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) January 2, 2019
Mike Tomlin: Admits there comes a point where AB becomes more a problem than useful
— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) January 2, 2019
Mike Tomlin: When we're talking about our "darkest hour," playing to win a game and needing help and the guy not communicating is real element of discussion
— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) January 2, 2019
Aske if Antonio Brown quit on the Steelers, Mike Tomlin said "you can call it what you want to call it"
— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) January 2, 2019
As Tomlin was making those comments, Brown took to Twitter to share a message about “free will” and having an ability to express himself.
Happy New Year. Be great. pic.twitter.com/QLna1LRncL
— Antonio Brown (@AB84) January 2, 2019
This situation has clearly gotten ugly, and Tomlin doesn’t feel the need to downplay it. He could have just as easily come out and said the media has been blowing the story out of proportion, and the fact that he didn’t do that speaks volumes about his level of frustration with Brown.
Brown reportedly skipped practices last week following an altercation with Ben Roethlisberger. Tomlin said Wednesday that he skipped his exit interview on Monday as well.
While it seemed at first like Brown’s so-called knee injury was just a cover-up for disciplinary issues, Tomlin’s remarks on Wednesday indicated the injury and the way Brown handled it were part of the problem. Brown is said to have challenged the Steelers to trade him during a practice outburst, but it’s too early to tell whether they plan to do that or not.
