Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown going AWOL during the final week of the 2018 regular season certainly did result in the team’s former safety turned NFL analyst Ryan Clark getting a lot of attention. Clark, who in the last week-plus has been very vocal about how he thinks the Steelers should seriously consider trading Brown during the offseason because of how he’s essentially become the diva monster Clark predicted he would become back in 2012, continued on with his criticism of his former teammate during the Tuesday edition of ‘First Take’ on ESPN.
Clark first explained in-depth on Tuesday how Brown instantly changed in 2012 after the Steelers signed the wide receiver to his first lucrative contract extension after then-Pittsburgh wide receiver Mike Wallace turned down the offer. Clark then recapped why he and Brown almost got into a physical altercation during a 2012 practice because of the way the wide receiver was treating other defensive players on the team and then-defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.
“Because my thing was, this is not how we behave, this is not how we act,” Clark said while recapping why he and Brown got into it with each other in 2012. “And for sure, we dont talk to Coach LeBeau that way.”
Clark went on to say that all the several things that Brown has done throughout the years that he’s gotten away with is essentially the fault of head coach Mike Tomlin and as a result of that, the Steelers must seriously consider trading the wide receiver this offseason.
“Because here’s my thing, it’s about respect,” Clark said Tuesday. “When you decide that you’re not going to show up for meetings, when you decide that you’re not going to practice, when you are benched, instead of coming to the sideline like other players do in Steelers gear, supporting your teammates, being there for the whole game in a situation where it’s probably the darkest moment of this year. Because you’re facing your season mortality, your playoff mortality – you dont even have an opportunity to control your own destiny – you wear a mink coat and you leave at halftime. There’s no respect there for your head coach, there’s no respect there for your teammates. And obviously, I still talk to guys in the locker room, I’ve dealt with it, it’s been something that’s been weighing on this team all year. And now it finally boils over.”
Clark then proceeded to lay out how the Steelers should go about dealing with Brown moving forward in regard to laying out rules related to his behavior if he wishes to remain in Pittsburgh.
“You’re compliant or you’re not, you’re compliant or you’re not a Steeler,” Clark suggested. “If he can’t do those things, he’s got to go.”
Clark then proceeded to respond to Brown calling him an ‘Uncle Tom’ last week and he explained why he decided to deal with it the way that he did.
“The reason why I didn’t respond is because nobody wins,” Clark said.
Clark had a few other interesting things to say on Tuesday and that’s why I suggest you watch the entire clip of his segment below.
