Steelers receiver Antonio Brown has removed from his list of Twitter “likes” one of the two tweets referring to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s history of off-field issues. Brown has replaced that with a tweet that addresses the basis for the apparent hostility between the two men.
“No conflict just a matter of respect!” Brown said in response to a fan who asked Brown to explain the basis for his conflict with the quarterback. “Mutual respect! He has a owner mentality like he can call out anybody including coaches. Players know but they can’t say anything about it otherwise they meal ticket gone. It’s a dirty game within a game.”
The tweet from Brown starts off in a seemingly positive way, but it quickly turns. Brown perceives a lack of respect in Roethlisberger’s willingness to publicly call out teammates, given that they can’t do the same. And Brown clearly views that hypocrisy as “dirty.”
This development underscores the folly of any football player seeing fit to talk openly about the actual or perceived shortcomings of a teammate. While much of what has transpired in Pittsburgh is the fault of Brown himself, Roethlisberger’s approach to coworkers has given Brown something that he views as a legitimate basis for wanting a new workplace.
The tweet from Brown is the first of what apparently will be 10 answers from the player aimed at disseminating “real truth and real facts.” He’s answering them slowly for now, probably because it’s taking too long to sift through the many sarcastic and mean-spirited responses he surely has received.