Is Antonio Brown too selfish? He says wants to 'win a Super Bowl' with Steelers
HOUSTON — Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown has come under fire during a critical juncture of his career.
The team had let word get out that Brown could be in line for a raise in the offseason that might make him the NFL’s highest-paid receiver. But that was before his Facebook Live locker-room incident, followed later by NFL Network reporting that Brown cared more about his own statistics than about winning championships and the words of Ben Roethlisberger, who said Brown was pouting too much when he didn’t get the ball.
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Brown attempted to set the record straight on Thursday when he say down with Yahoo Sports to discuss those reports and make it clear that he has winning a Super Bowl foremost in his mind.
“That’s what you dream about when you’re a kid, to be on that field and hoisting that trophy,” he said. “I am trying to focus not on what’s being said but what’s being done. It’s about what we do [to fix problems]. I continue to do things the right away and do them at a high level.”
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There were even reports that Brown was intentionally running the wrong route. Brown scoffed at the idea.
“Yo, it’s the championship game,” he said. “I want to win a Super Bowl. That’s what you play for.”
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin made a not-so-veiled reference to Brown’s contract when discussing the Facebook incident with the media, which was surprising. It suggested that there have been enough concerns with Brown on some level outside that one video to give the Steelers even a moment’s pause about dishing out so much coin, even for a super-talented, highly productive player such as Brown.
But Brown isn’t worried, and neither is teammate Le’Veon Bell — another player at a financial crossroads, heading into free agency this offseason. Bell told Yahoo Sports that the reports about Brown pouting and his selfishness are not that big a deal from his perspective.
“I definitely think this is being blown out of proportion a little bit,” Bell said.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
