Before I can write this, I have to make a confession. As a Pittsburgh Steelers fan from the womb, I LOVED Antonio Brown. For a time he was hands-down my favorite player, and when the Chicago Bears broke my son’s heart for the last time it was AB’s jersey that he wanted.
Yes… that’s me and my son wearing our own #84 and my daughter wearing my vintage Terry Bradshaw jersey. So it will come as no surprise that the way AB left the Steelers broke our hearts. It was also a painful day when I had to go talk with my son about the stories of alleged sexual misconduct (the lawsuit has been settled, but there have been other questions). I don’t think you understand. Antonio Brown was his idol, and his idol had fallen hard.
AB spent nine years with the Steelers, and most of them were amazing. But his last year was full of fits on social media and being upset that teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster was getting more touches and recognition. Couldn’t have been that he was very well covered, leaving others open and that he was not the only talented receiver they had. Nah….
What happened?
I do not know for sure, but many commentators and fans point to a 2015-season playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals. At the end of the game AB was hammered by linebacker Vontaze Burfict. Burfict’s level of dirty could be its own post – it was the same game he jerked Ben Rothlisberger’s throwing arm after a tackle. Before you continue, you should watch the video here.
That was a nasty hit for which Burfict was charged with a personal foul for unnecessary roughness. You can see that AB seems to be unconscious as he was doing nothing to protect himself as he hit the ground. He subsequently left the game with a concussion. It’s a little justice that this was the first of two major penalties that allowed the Steelers to win a game they certainly should have lost.
Possible Brain Trauma
It has been argued that AB’s behavior is best explained by Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). According to Wikipedia CTE is a neurodegenerative disease caused by repeated head trauma. The course is not good, with social instability and poor judgment giving way to more serious cognitive dysfunction, depression, and suicidality. One rather extreme case was former linebacker Phillip Adams, who at the age of 32 shot and killed six people before killing himself in April 2021. During the autopsy, he was found to have severe neurological degeneration. Someone has been keeping a list of former NFL Players with confirmed or suspected CTE. However, any contact sport that involves repeated blows to the head places one at higher risk.
Does AB suffer from CTE? I don’t know. Such will have to be explored by his physicians. But through his public behavior since that hit he shows mood instability, impulsivity, social dysregulation, and some rather poor judgment. So, CTE seems to be a credible possible explanation. There are others that are more psychological about which I will not opine here. I think we can all agree that something is wrong.
Regardless of his medical or psychological status, he clearly needs some type of help. Antonio…. As a person who was once your fan, I urge you to get the help you need. You’re destroying yourself, your reputation, and your career. It might be too late for the latter two. It’s hard to watch.
Epilogue
I broke my son’s heart by not allowing him to play football in any context other than in the park with his friends. Knowing what I know, I do not regret this decision in the least. Honestly, I struggle with something. I love watching football (and boxing and Mixed Martial Arts), and certainly there is so much more awareness to the impact of repeated concussions – particularly those not given sufficient time to heal. Concussion protocols and changes to rules around tackling likely help, but we don’t know what the long-term implications are.
There is such pressure to “man up” (although I’d imagine anyone taking repeated blows and suffering multiple concussions is at risk) and win the game. It’s all on the line, and you need to be tough and push through the confusion. No, you don’t. That big win you’re chasing is something you eventually will not remember. It’s not “being a man,” it’s being foolish. Let yourself heal to play another day.