The Antonio Brown saga has dominated headlines ever since he was seen stripping off his uniform, tossing his shirt and gloves into the stands, and walking through the end zone and into the locker room as his team was out on the field against the Jets.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach and analyst Bill Cowher commented on the situation and he did not mince words in his response.
“It’s a pattern of behavior,” Cowher said on CBS on Sunday, via SteelersWire. “We’ve seen it everywhere he’s been. You could see it from the time he was in Pittsburgh, to the Raiders, to New England, and where he is right now. It’s sad. An intervention is really needed right now.”
During Cowher’s last three seasons with Pittsburgh, his wide receivers coach was Bruce Arians.
“You talk about a player’s coach,” Cowher said, defending Arians. “He holds people accountable, yes. He may have pulled him out of the game because he didn’t like the way he was playing. That’s part of being a coach.”
Cowher, who served 15 seasons as Pittsburgh’s head coach, was asked about Brown back in 2019 and how he continued to dominate headlines with his behavior.
“I think we know too much [about Brown],” Cowher said during an interview with CBS Sports HQ. “I think too much was made out of [his trade from Pittsburgh]. I think every time he does something … he’s a guy that likes the attention.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
“Really, I think when you talk about his play on the field, he’s a very good receiver,” Cowher continued. “And I think in today’s transparent world, social media, he likes to see his name in the media, he likes the attention. I just think if you’re coaching a guy like that, you kinda just hope he doesn’t become a distraction from the standpoint of saying something to the opponents. If he’s on your team, let him do his thing as long as he’s out there and producing as he’s getting paid to do.”
Cowher even blamed fantasy football for creating selfish players like Brown.
“Fantasy football,” Cowher said. “I think fantasy football has made that position and has created a kind of selfishness and a way for us to judge players. It’s hard for them not to look at that … I think, when you talk about a team sport yet we’re talking about individuals wanting to have specific numbers. I think fantasy football has made that position a lot more, I would say, divisive for a team from the standpoint of they’re looked upon a little bit differently than offensive linemen or defensive linemen or any other player besides quarterbacks … running backs, obviously because they get touches. So I just think fantasy football has created more of an individual sport when it really is a team sport.”
As of right now, the team has not formally released Brown, but it is expected to happen fairly soon. He won’t be signed this year, but he just might get a shot to play somewhere else in 2022 despite his actions on the field.
