On Wednesday Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown got his turn at sharing his thoughts on the anonymous player speaking out against the play and conditioning of linebacker LaMarr Woodley.
Brown, who was a guest on the ESPN show First Take, said that his third year with the Steelers was a lot different than his first two.
“It\’s definitely disappointing,” said Brown, referring to the comment made to Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about Woodley.
Brown was then pushed more to talk more on the subject.
“Our team was a team last year where the guys weren\’t really together,” Brown told Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless. “As we know in the NFL, you got to have a band of brothers. Everyone has got to be together and it has to filter down from the leadership. And for guys to throw a guy like LaMarr Woodley, a pro bowl player, under the bus just shows you the men we had in our locker-room, and its something that we want to get corrected for 2013.”
Brown was asked who the situation reflects on and what does the team need to do moving forward to ensure the same kind of problem doesn\’t happen again.
“It\’s a reflection of the men that we bring into our locker-room,” said Brown. “As a team and as a staff we have to evaluate the guys that come in our locker-room and do a good job of making those guys understand our tradition and what the Steelers stand for. 8-8 was totally unacceptable and we have to understand, and guys have to know, that everyone is going to get a piece of the pie, but we got to be all in and committed to one thing, and that\’s winning.”
“The guy that\’s throwing rocks and hiding his hand needs to come out,” Brown added. “If you\’re going to say something, be a man of your word.”
Brown was asked if he would have respected the anonymous player had he attached his name to the comment about Woodley.
“Most definitely,” said Brown. “No question. If you are going to speak out about something, be a man and claim it. But don\’t go in the newspaper speaking out about our Pro Bowl linebacker and not mentioning your name. Then other guys supporting it. It goes to show you that we wasn\’t a team in 2012. So, some of the things we have to iron out and we\’re looking to get those things corrected.”
Brown was asked if he knows who the player is that made the comments.
“I don\’t know, but I want to know,” said Brown.
Brown went on to say that he believes Woodley will be fine moving forward into 2013 and will help the team get back on track.
You can watch a full replay of the segment in the video below.
