Cameron Heyward took a not-so-subtle dig at Antonio Brown when presenting an example of behavior befitting a bad teammate.
On Thursday, via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, Pittsburgh Steelers reporter Mike Prisuta asked the team captain about potential red flags from “me-first players.” Heyward responded by referencing the infamous incident from Brown’s last game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“If you’re taking off your pads in the middle of a game, we’re going to have a problem.”
When jokingly asked if that’s happened, Heyward replied it hasn’t on his team, and he doesn’t think it ever will.
In Week 17 of the 2021 season, Brown took off his jersey and waived to the MetLife Stadium crowd as he exited the field during Tampa Bay’s game against the New York Jets. The wide receiver claimed the team pressured him to play through an ankle injury.
The Buccaneers released him days later, and Brown has not signed with a new team this offseason.
It seems safe to say a Steelers reunion is off the table. Brown also ended his Pittsburgh tenure in unceremonious terms, requesting trade in 2019 amid growing disputes with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and head coach Mike Tomlin. Heyward called his actions “unacceptable.”
Most of the NFL likely shares Heyward’s view of Brown’s behavior representing red flags not worth the headache.