WR Brown wants to win: ‘Doesn’t matter where’
JuJu Smith-Schuster praises Antonio Brown for his locker room leadership and says he doesn’t see Brown going anywhere. (1:52)
PITTSBURGH — Antonio Brown delivered a brief message from the Super Bowl in his first public appearance since the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ season ended.
Trouble between the Steelers and Antonio Brown has been “brewing for years,” and a once unthinkable split is now possible. Here’s how they got here.
Pro Bowl wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster compared the Steelers to the Kardashians during a Super Bowl week appearance on ESPN’s First Take on Thursday.
“I just want to win,” said Brown in a short interview posted on USA Today Sports’ Twitter account. “I just want to win, play with a team that’s gonna win. That’s all I want.”
“Doesn’t matter where?” the reporter asked.
“Doesn’t matter where,” replied Brown, wearing a blond-dyed mustache and hair with blonde and blue streaks.
Brown has communicated mostly through social media since the Week 17 drama that has left the Steelers exploring trade options for the All-Pro wide receiver. Brown frustrated the organization when he skipped work the Saturday before the season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals. Brown also had a flare-up in a midweek team setting. Sources said Brown believes he has been used as a scapegoat for the team’s problems and is open to thriving in a new offense if that’s the path the Steelers choose.
Brown has tweeted that the Steelers feel “indifferent” about him and used Instagram to post an edited photo of himself in a San Francisco 49ers jersey.
Steelers president Art Rooney II said Jan. 16 that he has made efforts to speak with Brown and would like to get his side of things.
“Obviously, [something] changed [the] last weekend of the season, and there is no other way to say it than I am very disappointed with where we are and what happened and don’t have a lot of good explanations for it as we sit here today,” Rooney told a group of Pittsburgh-area reporters.
Since then, there has been contact between both sides, though it’s unclear whether Brown has spoken directly with Rooney. Agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN that “we have shared our thoughts with the Steelers but will keep those discussions internal.”
The Steelers couldn’t execute a trade until March 13, the start of the league year. Brown has a $2.5 million roster bonus due March 17.
Several team leaders spoke out in support of Brown at last week’s Pro Bowl. They want him back in their locker room.
“I love the guy. I think the world of the guy. I love his competitiveness,” defensive end Cam Heyward said. “I’d love to have him on our team. That’s all I can ask for. Now the ball’s in his court.”