The star wide receiver walked back his comments about wanting a trade, saying he was ‘pissed off’ about something else entirely.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown said Thursday that his frustration on the sideline during Sunday’s game and his tweet toward a critic on Monday came from his desire to win.
Meeting with reporters for the first time since the team’s 42-37 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Brown made it clear he does not want a trade, but rather for his team to start performing at the level it has previously.
“We were losing the game… we haven’t won a game yet,” Brown said. “For me, as a Steeler, that’s unacceptable. I’m not on the sideline begging for the ball or making statements like you guys (the media) make. I’m pissed off. We’re losing, we suck.
“… We ain’t winning. You’re damn right I’m pissed off.”
Brown was seen on the sideline during the second half of the Chiefs game, which dropped the Steelers to 0-1-1, in an apparent argument with offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner. On Monday, Brown replied to a critical tweet from former Steelers PR staffer Ryan Scarpino — suggesting Brown wouldn’t be as productive without Ben Roethlisberger — with the words “Trade me let’s find out.”
“Obviously I don’t want a trade,” Brown said Thursday. “I’m still grateful to put on my uniform, grateful to be a part of this organization. I don’t take that for granted. Obviously it was a stupid remark.
“… I guess I can’t really respond to people that’s saying crazy stuff.”
Brown also was not at the team’s facility on Monday, an absence for which head coach Mike Tomlin said Brown was disciplined. The wideout said the absence was for a personal reason, and no further details have been provided on the subject.
Brown acknowledged that the tweet and the resulting media circus were a distraction, but he remains fully focused on winning.
“Obviously I’m in the spotlight, so you guys are always putting me under the microscope, but I’m a compassionate individual,” Brown said. “I can’t fake the way I feel. I can’t hide the way I feel. If it wasn’t important to me, then I’d just say it don’t matter, but I’m not that type of guy.
“… Our business is winning, playing football. That’s what I’m here to do.”
Pittsburgh is without a win through two games for the first time since 2013, when it started 0-4 and went on to finish 8-8.
–Field Level Media
