The Antonio Brown situation in Pittsburgh is getting weirder by the hour.
The Steelers wideout reportedly missed Sunday’s season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals for, well, a number of reasons: He got into a dispute with teammates (including Ben Roethlisberger), elected to skip practice the rest of the week and ditched team meetings during the weekend. He reportedly also left at halftime, seemingly upset over being benched. Roethlisberger since has denied any spats, and the Steelers haven’t confirmed any of the reports. Regardless, it certainly looks as if things are getting ugly between the Steelers and the All-Pro wideout.
And now Brown has requested a trade, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported Tuesday.
Check out this tweet:
Antonio Brown has requested a trade. Im told it was not a demand but he has asked to be dealt. Very unlikely Rooney would capitulate. Brown has issues with Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger. Feels like the coach is too aligned with the QB.
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 1, 2019
La Canfora is a respected NFL reporter, so there’s no reason to doubt him. However, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport chimed in Tuesday afternoon with a conflicting report.
Take a look:
My understanding of the situation surrounding #Steelers WR Antonio Brown: As he exited the field in frustration on Wednesday, he yelled, "I’m done!" Then wondered why they don’t trade him. More venting in anger than anything. He has not made any actual trade request, officially.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 1, 2019
We don’t know who to believe, but Brown’s Twitter activity Tuesday morning suggests he wants out of Pittsburgh.
Check out this reply to a tweet from San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle:
— AB (@AB84) January 1, 2019
Yeah, we told you things are getting weird.
The Steelers signed Brown, 30, to a five-year contract extension worth nearly $73 million in early 2017.
