Oh what fun it is to deal with the drama that comes with the Pittsburgh Steelers these days. We, as I’m guessing largely working class people, are continually being asked to concern ourselves with the ego bruises suffered by multi-millionaires.
Granted, this is often pitted against the interests of multi-billionaires, but in Antonio Brown’s case, we’re talking about his coaches and peers. He has denied that money is a part of his issues with the Steelers.
Brown has been commenting more and more via social media as time goes on, Tweeting messages that one should be ‘celebrated’ rather than ‘tolerated’, which he feels is how he is treated by the team, and perhaps by the fans as well.
He addressed a number of questions yesterday in which he basically said that he has no intentions of playing in Pittsburgh any longer.
Given that he has not been in contact, I think it’s safe to assume, with at least the vast majority of his teammates, it’s not surprising to see some messages that might be interpreted as a response to what Brown had to say. One such message seemed to come from defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt.
“If you are feeling very under appreciated or always secondary at your job it’s time to reconsider some things”, he wrote in a morning message that admittedly came before Brown’s answering of questions. “Life is to short and if you believe you are the person then go be that person. Show Everyone”.
If you are feeling very under appreciated or always secondary at your job it’s time to reconsider some things. Life is to short and if you believe you are the person then go be that person. Show Everyone.
— stephon tuitt (@DOCnation_7) February 16, 2019
The day prior to that, Brown Tweeted, “organizations got the fans tricked”. It was two days before that that he said, “don’t be tolerated be celebrated!”, and just a day before that was his farewell message to Steelers fans, which included the hashtag #NewDemands.
It’s almost impossible to read Tuitt’s Tweet outside of the context of Brown, given how it seems to hit right on the nose of the issue. Brown has gone on throughout the offseason about how he is being underappreciated, saying that even the organization is “indifferent” to him.
If it is indeed intended to be a part of the Brown conversation, then Tuitt seems to straddle the line between support and opposition. “It’s time to reconsider things” can be interpreted in both ways.
As a friend, he could say that it’s in Brown’s best interests to be somewhere that he feels appreciated. As a critic, it could mean that his perceived slights are only in his head, or not a big deal.
