There are many who would still argue that Terry Bradshaw is the greatest quarterback in Pittsburgh Steelers history, and perhaps the greatest offensive player. Maybe only second to Joe Greene as the greatest and most important player the franchise has ever had.
That said, he hasn’t always portrayed himself in the most flattering light, a trend that has gotten further and further toward the occasionally embarrassing sign as he has gotten further and further away from his playing career.
Bradshaw has put his foot in his mouth a number of times over the years, commenting on issues that he frankly has no business doing, but he offered some strong opinions related to Antonio Brown while on The Jim Rome Podcast that I think will be met with a lot of agreement here.
The first point, about which he was adamant, is that the Steelers are going to be a worse team on the field without him. This isn’t a very controversial point, though it has been debated while attempting to factor in every variable imaginable.
His second point was more personal, and more passionate, and it came after Rome asked him how he felt about the way Brown forced his way out of Pittsburgh, the Steelers ultimately trading him to the Oakland Raiders.
I cannot stand divas. Can’t stand ‘em. I don’t want to play with ‘em. I don’t want anything to do with ‘em. This game is too hard without my having to babysit and force plays to a guy just to keep him happy. If he cares about the football team, he’ll shut up. He will keep his mouth shut and play the game. That’s my thinking. I’m 70. I’m not 30 or 31. I’m 70. And that’s the kind of player I want to play with. I don’t want to play with a diva.
Tell me that quote isn’t going to be met with a round of applause by some here, perhaps many. Brown is a player who has openly admitted that even Heath Miller has had to tell him to shut up when he’s complaining in-game about his numbers.
“Now, today’s game is not like it was in the 70s”, Bradshaw went on. “Players are not like they were in the 70s. Players now have money. With money comes a certain amount of what they think is power. And all of a sudden it’s about their brand, and all of a sudden it’s about their numbers”.
“It’s not about winning. It’s never about winning. If you think it’s about winning, you’ve lost your mind”, he said. “It’s about ‘where’s my money? Where’s my money? Where’s my money?’. And then when things aren’t going right in the game, they’re throwing garbage cans on the sideline. They’re pointing fingers, screaming and hollering”.
Expressing a lack of understanding of how this behavior comes about, the Hall of Famer concluded his thoughts with the following: “teams win with character. They do not win with divas”. I’m sure somebody will point out that the Steelers won two Super Bowls with Hines Ward, and none with Brown.
