Pittsburgh Steelers star wide receiver Antonio Brown made waves on Monday by responding to a tweet with the now-infamous word, “trade.” Brown also failed to report to the team’s facility that very same day reportedly without permission from the Steelers themselves.
Obviously, something is going on behind the scenes when it comes to Brown and his Steelers. In an attempt to clear the air, the receiver’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, released the following statement.
“The tweet yesterday was not in reference to anything other than Antonio responding to a person he knows,” Rosenhaus said, via ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “It was not directed towards a trade, or wanting to be trading. Any idea he was asking for a trade is not accurate.”
To be clear, anyone with an objective mind figured Brown was attempting to make a point. His tweet was directed at a former Steelers staffer. In no way was he taking to Twitter as a way to demand a trade.
Rosenhaus statement continued…
2/3 Rosenhaus: “Antonio had a personal matter. I talked to the team about it. His issue was unrelated to the tweet or his relationship with the team. Third, AB has an incredible drive to win. He just wants to win. That's all that that is.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 18, 2018
3/3 “That's not anything more than him encouraging his coaches and teammates to win. And that's what his entire focus is on. Any notion, any speculation otherwise, can be put to bed. This is a non-story that has been blown out of proportion. We can end this right here and now."
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 18, 2018
The agent is clearly pushing back against the idea that Brown’s absence from the Steelers’ facility for film review on Monday was not without the permission of the organization. He’s also making it clear that Brown has no issue with the organization or his teammates.
Prior to all of this drama coming out, Brown was seen visibly frustrated following Pittsburgh’s loss to Kansas City on Sunday. It concluded with him leaving the team’s locker room in a quick fashion after the loss.
One could very well look at this as spin from Rosenhaus. Though, the likeliest scenario is that it might have been blown out of proportion. Only time will tell on that front. Until then, Pittsburgh heads into Week 3 winless on the season.