We heard yesterday that an Antonio Brown trade was “close” and that three teams were “still alive”, but over 24 hours later we still don’t have a deal. While we await an end to the saga, it’s worth examining why the Steelers are so willing to meet Brown’s demands and trade him, writes Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. Florio questions why the Steelers are seemingly “letting Brown dictate the terms of his employment,” and came up with a hypothesis based on his relationship with Ben Roethlisberger.
Brown has publicly gone after Roethlisberger in recent weeks, which could’ve solidified the Steelers’ resolve to ship him out. Florio theorizes that the feud between Brown and Roethlisberger isn’t just one-sided, and that Roethlisberger may be pushing for Brown to be gone behind the scenes. Florio thinks Roethlisberger may have given Pittsburgh’s management an ultimatum, and that could be why the team hasn’t tried to reconcile with Brown at all. It makes some sense, and if nothing else it’s an interesting theory.
Here’s more from around the league:
- There’s been a lot of talk about a potential work stoppage when it comes time to negotiate the next CBA between the owners and the players’ union. There will be intense battles over things like contract guarantees, but one area the league plans to cede ground is on the substance abuse policy. The NFL is poised “to make major concessions regarding the substance-abuse policy, especially as it relates to marijuana,” according to Florio. Florio cautions that the details haven’t been ironed out yet, but the new CBA could completely get rid of any mention of Marijuana, making it permissible for everyone in the league.
- There was a lot of talk about whether or not Kyler Murray made a bad impression in his combine interviews, but one player certainly did. Florida edge rusher Jachai Polite interviewed terrible, and his draft stock “is taking a massive tumble” as a result, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Polite had been projected by many as a first round pick, but that now appears to be in serious jeopardy. Polite also performed poorly in the athletic testing portion of the combine, and later claimed an injury was responsible.
- The new startup football league, the AAF, has had a tumultuous start. There was a good amount of drama surrounding their finances after the first week, but things appear to have stabilized since then with a huge $250MM investment coming from NHL owner Tom Dundon. Now Bill Polian, the Hall of Fame former Colts GM and one of the founders of the AAF, is hopeful about a potential partnership with the NFL. Polian said in a recent conference call with reporters that talk about a formal partnership with the league “is ramping up” behind the scenes, according to Tom Krasovic of The San Diego Union Tribune. “Our hope would be that that would happen as quickly as it possibly can,” Polian added.
Big Ben is giving Rooney ultimatums? Please put down your bong Florio. Roethisberger is no genius but he understands that the fewer weapons he has to work with the easier it will be for management to make him the fall guy when disaster strikes.
Agreed. Goofy conspiracy.. if he doesn’t know why Steelers moved on from Brown then ge must have been on another planet last few months.
I like Florio, but he’s ignoring a few key points.
1) The Steelers have tried on multiple occasions to reconcile with Brown. Not suspending him, not fining him, calling him, traveling to FLA, etc.
2) Brown wouldn’t return their calls for over a month.
3) Brown has brain damage. And his brain was suspect at it’s peak.
4) Brown is so broke, he does weird birthday greetings for $500. He’ll be driving for Uber in a week or so. He has to find a new team to shake down for upfront money.
What kind of weird birthday greeting did Brown do for Big Ben a week ago that was worth $500?
You see the “paid off house” that he was getting that latest interview in, the one with marble pillars in background. I’m sure Brown isn’t hurting for cash considering he tapped the Steelers for $100,000,000 in earnings over the years.
You can’t pay the bills with a mansion unless you sell it.
Milburn Drysdale never told Jed Clampett that.
These Steeler fans are like bitter ex girlfriends that are spiteful that the boyfriend doesn’t want them anymore and they can’t move. The same idiots posting on every article, Brown’s social media accounts how terrible a person He is, but dismissing the fact the QB got suspended 4 games after being accused & settling sexual assault cases. Pathetic
Like the bitter ex girlfriends who keep calling the cops on poor Mr. Big Chest?
Steeler fans don’t bring up Ernie Holmes shooting at the police helicopter when talking about Brown, either. Why?
They are unrelated.
Can you defend Brown’s behavior without pointing to someone else’s as deflection?
I’ll try…. he’s a wacko millionaire that is still a top WR in the NFL.
Im not defending AB’s behavior for week 17, because he was wrong missing walkthrough and meetings. But, How is it deflection when it reflects the character of the person that AB has issues with? You guys bring AB’s character, so why not bring up the character of Ben?
FYI… don’t think Ben’s constant retirement talk wasn’t just a ploy to get more money, but no one mentions his diva like behavior or his greed
I’ve criticized Ben from the beginning (before the accusations or the accident) but aside from claiming that Brown ran a flat route (boo hoo) I’m not sure what exactly he did that justifies AB quitting on his team or violating his contract.
Ben, Tomlin, Colbert can all be criticized for various actions (some of those actions include making excuses and covering for Mr. Big Chest for years) no doubt. None of them…not one…excuses AB’s behavior.
And Ben’s constant retirement talk was a ploy to get Haley fired. Being an NFL QB in the current market is his ploy to get more money.
Spot on Keyser…. Not to mention how they TURNED on Bell because he didn’t like the Franchise Tag, or the contract they offered during NEGOTIATIONS. Another guy that played hard. Could RUN/CATCH and the BEST blocking RB in the league. Sure, he wasn’t perfect, but he made a business decision. Never said anything negative about anyone in the organization, but they turned on him. These people are Brutal.
The Steelers are the new most dysfunctional team in the NFl
Taking their rivalry with the Browns too infinity and beyond…lol.
Steelers with AB and Bell = super bowl contenders
now they’re a laughing stock pile of trash, clowns gone wild