Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Antonio Brown made a huge mistake when his Facebook live video put his head coach in awkward position, and he knows it.
“It was a dumb mistake,” Brown said, per Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report. “Can’t believe I did it, and it won’t happen again. I promise you that.”
In the minutes after the Steelers pasted the Kansas City Chiefs in a playoff game this January, Brown’s video broadcast Mike Tomlin saying some not-so-nice things about the Steelers’ next opponent, the New England Patriots. It was a violation of the sanctity of Pittsburgh’s locker room and gave the Patriots some bulletin board material — as if they needed any to begin with.
For his transgression, Brown was fined by the Steelers and called out by his coach (more on that here).
Some have suggested the Steelers would be wise to trade Brown, who is undeniably one of the NFL’s best receivers. However, team president Art Rooney II recently shot down any notion that the team is interested in letting Brown go, and in fact he’s expected to get a big contract extension at some point this offseason.
With all that said, it’s clear Brown is going to have to mend some fences heading into 2017, and he’s made it clear that’s on his to-do list.
“The big thing I learned is that I have some growing up to do, and I’m going to do it. I learned a lot from it and will keep learning. I’m going to rebuild the trust with my teammates and my coaches. I promise you that, too.”
Let’s hope Brown is joined by Ben Roethlisberger, who has hinted retirement is a real option, this upcoming season. If both are back in 2017, then we shouldn’t be surprised to see the Steelers challenging the best teams in the AFC for another shot at their seventh Super Bowl win.