Ryan Clark is not backing down from his criticism of Antonio Brown.
Last week, the former Pittsburgh Steelers star turned sports analyst unloaded on his former teammate for what he noticed back in 2012 when the team created the ‘monster’ by paying him after his suspect and diva-like behavior.
“Mike Wallace turned down his deal, and I knew already they were going to offer Antonio,” Clark said on “SportsCenter” on Monday night, referring to Wallace’s 2012 holdout, in which Pittsburgh turned around and gave the $42.5 million it had earmarked for Wallace to Brown instead. “When [Brown] walks past, I say to the strength coaches, ‘When you give him money, you’re going to create a monster.’”
He also suggested the only solution is to trade Brown to a new franchise.
“This is about the fabric of the team,” Clark said. “This is about the guy that goes Facebook Live as your coach is talking and leaks information out of the locker room that never should be there, this is about the guy that publicly talks about not getting the ball or issues with the offensive coordinator, knocks over garbage cans or knocks over Gatorade bottles and cans because he doesn’t get the rock. At some point, when you’re an organization that’s built on team, organization that’s built on integrity, you have to show the rest of the locker room that. Will he be good going forward? Probably so. But you have to take that stand.”
“You’re saying shop him?” Van Pelt asked.
“You have to,” Clark said. “It’s time to go.”
Fast forward to this week and Clark is not backing down from his comments on the often controversial wide receiver. In fact, he decided to reveal more information about Brown.
On Tuesday’s edition of ‘First Take,’– Clark shocked Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman with a story about how Brown verbally disrespected Hall of Fame player Dick LeBeau shortly after Brown signed a new contract in 2012.
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“Coming into the next practice, he just got his money, he cusses out Dick LeBeau. Coach LeBeau, somebody who Troy [Polamalu], myself, James Farrior, all respected so much that anything he ever said, there’s no reply,” Clark said. “We almost got into a physical altercation that day, me and Antonio Brown. Because my thing was, this is not how we behave. This is not how we act. And for sure we don’t talk to Coach LeBeau that way.”
Clark went on to reveal that even though he hasn’t played for the team since 2013, he keeps in contact with several players on the squad and they told him Brown has become a serious problem, and coach Mike Tomlin hasn’t handled it.
“This is a situation that Coach Tomlin has allowed to get out of hand. So now you have to think about moving him,” Clark said. “It’s been something that has been weighing on this team all year.”
