It sure has been an adventurous week for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown considering that he didn’t even play—though I suppose that was a part of the adventure. The evidently insubordinate All-Pro recently chummed it up with another former insubordinate in James Harrison after going AWOL over the weekend, prompting Head Coach Mike Tomlin’s decision not to play him on Sunday.
It’s unclear who on the team might have spoken to Brown directly since halftime on Sunday when he left the stadium. The one person we do know he has seen is Harrison, as the former outside linebacker posted a video of himself with Brown in Instagram…while Tomlin was giving his end of season press conference.
The two teased an ‘exclusive’ interview with Brown that never actually emerged, or at least has not yet as of the time of this writing, but Harrison has been enjoying stirring the pot in his former football home over the past year since the Steelers released him late in the 2017 season.
The retired All-Pro has been vocal in his criticism of Tomlin and in his observations on the Steelers’ culture—somewhat ironic given the behavior he has admitted to during his final year with the team—but also seems to take issue with the notion that there is some ulterior motive to his spending time with Brown, which he addressed on Instagram yesterday.
“AB is my brother – that means family – and to me, a family member is not defined or measured by the deeds they do, the title they hold or the company they work for”, he wrote in a post featuring an image of himself and Brown during a practice session in training camp.
“My love and support for my brothers/family doesn’t stop when I disagree, argue or fight wt them. The fact that I consider you family means just the opposite, I’m there for you. And I’m allowed – not just allowed – I’m EXPECTED to be there for you and to give you my opinion whether you agree or disagree”, he went on.
“And I expect you to give me yours as well. Why is AB hanging wt James Harrison? The same reason that Brett Keisel, Ike Taylor, Ryan Clark, Larry Foote, Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu, DeAngelo Williams, Ryan Shazier, Vince Williams, and others do… These are my brothers, and brothers shoot the shit!”.
That all sounds nice, to be sure, but on the surface it still smacks of a former player continuing to try to stay relevant, when coupled with his many appearances on sports shows in which he has spoken out against the way in which his former team is run.
Harrison emerged as a starter under Tomlin when he took over as head coach in 2007. From that point through 2012, he registered 60 sacks, four interceptions, and 29 forced fumbles. He finished his career back in Pittsburgh, where he registered another 16 and a half sacks over three and a half seasons along with four more forced fumbles and two interceptions. He signed with the New England Patriots after his release and then retired in the offseason.
