Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster engaged in some public back-and-forth with ex-teammate Antonio Brown this summer, but he has no hard feelings in spite of it.
Brown was a frequent critic of Smith-Schuster after leaving the Steelers for the Oakland Raiders during the offseason. Smith-Schuster responded on more than one occasion, but even now, he says there’s “no hatred” toward Brown.
“For me, I have no hatred towards him,” Smith-Schuster told Michael McKnight of SI. “Hate is a strong word to use. The word I use is disappointed. Playing with him for two years, he was a role model. Everything he did, he dominated. I respect his game so much, I wanted to play like him, be great with him. Obviously there were other plans in place. I can’t control that.”
Brown essentially blamed Smith-Schuster for the downfall of Pittsburgh’s 2018 season, which prompted a response from Smith-Schuster. The two aren’t on good teams, but Smith-Schuster doesn’t seem to want an over-the-top war of words.
The 22-year-old Smith-Schuster is expected to pick up a lot of the slack from Brown this year. He posted his first 1,000-yard season in 2018, racking up 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns.
