Many saw the 2018 season as a major turning point for former Pittsburgh Steelers WR Antonio Brown—particularly in hindsight. Despite another excellent season, he suddenly wanted to leave the team that drafted him in the sixth round in 2010. And it never seemed to be exclusively about a contract dispute.
While that was certainly a component of it, there seemed a personal element as well. He’s hinted at it before, but recently Antonio Brown elaborated more on his feelings about JuJu Smith-Schuster’s sudden rise.
A 2017 second-round draft pick, Smith-Schuster shined as a rookie, and then seemed to take off in Year Two. He put up 1,426 yards and seemed on track to be the Steelers’ next great find—after Brown, perhaps. Brown saw how the attention began to shift to the personable youngster and away from him.
“I think in 2018 I had like, 15 touchdowns, 1,200 yards, 100 catches”, he recalled in conversation with Jason Whitlock. “I think that was my sixth season doing it. And that’s when I realized, you know, people don’t really appreciate greatness. People these days in the NFL, when they see a young player that’s being great and doing great things, it’s just, scrutinize on them right away. It’s a takedown on them”.
To be clear, he seems to be referring to himself rather than Smith-Schuster here as the young player. He went on to talk about how so many began focusing instead on his “personal dramas”, citing Jesse Washington’s article. “I come late or miss a meeting and it’s on the news”, he said.
“I was getting too much scrutiny. Then they brought another young receiver who they was making it seem like he could be what I am”, Brown added, clearly referring to JuJu Smith-Schuster. “Imagine the trauma, and that’s why I started this. Imagine the trauma you gotta deal with when you’ve been great for an organization for so long and now you’re realizing they’re trying to make somebody else you and they’re trying to push you aside based on media writeups”.
Even at the time, reports surfaced indicating that Brown took umbrage to his teammates voting Smith-Schuster the team MVP in 2018. Brown even later blocked his former teammate on all social media platforms. Smith-Schuster tried to take the high road through much of it, but eventually years later said he wanted to box Brown.
Of course, Brown disregards the validity of journalism covering the “personal dramas” of athletes. His in particular involved a series of lawsuits dating back a number of years. He also faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, which ultimately led to his release from the New England Patriots.
But there is some truth to the tone shifting in Pittsburgh from Brown to Smith-Schuster as the new golden boy. Brown was still at the top of his game, actually catching 104 passes for 1,297 yards in 15 games with 15 touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl and certainly should have made the All-Pro List again as well.
Yet many began to view Smith-Schuster, obviously much younger, as the future. Things didn’t quite develop that way, including in ways not in Smith-Schuster’s control. But there is something to the idea of his greatness being taken for granted. Did he have a right to grow jealous of his younger teammate’s attention? Maybe not. But how many players at his pinnacle of production boast that sort of humility to turn away a trifling slight?
