"AB, I love you forever" – Antonio Brown gets another backer in Chad Johnson despite litany of controversies
Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown had one of the biggest falls from grace of any player in recent memory.
The 12-year wide was a Super Bowl champion and a five-time All-Pro. He led the league in receiving yards and receptions multiple times, made seven Pro Bowls, and is arguably the greatest wide receiver in Steelers' history.
Brown had something of a meltdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 17 in the 2021 season against the New York Jets and he stormed off the field. He hasn't played since and has engaged in a lot of controversy which has made a lot of headlines.
Many think the head injury he suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals (an outrageously ugly and stupid hit for a number of reasons) is the cause of his downfall. Rather than go into detail, the clip below (albeit lengthy) explains it best.
The Steelers Bengals Wildcard game in 2016 is still one of my favorite endings to a game #Steelers #HereWeGo #Pittsburgh #nfl #bengals https://t.co/GpztCWsFiC
Since then, Brown has had sexual assault charges filed against him. He was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders and forced a release after verbally fighting with ownership and has had domestic incidents at his house. Brown exposed himself to a woman in a Dubai hotel and posted an explicit video of an ex-girlfriend (and mother of his children) on his Snapchat story.
Despite all of his outbursts and outlandish behavior, former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson still supports Antonio Brown. Johnson joined Shannon Sharpe at "Club Shay Shay" and talked about the support and love he has for Brown:
"AB, I love you forever. I love you. And that's it. That's it, I'm not one to scrutinise, I'm not going to talk about. If I am going to talk to him if there's something I need to say it will be said in private you know?
"We've been together so long even before before football, before football from Miami. And also that is one I will always hold down. We all make mistakes, we all forced fall short of whatever it is in life that we want to do. During those times I'm one that will lift my brother. You know and not talk about him."
Johnson went on, explaining his perspective on Antonio Brown's controversies:
"I love him to death. Do I agree with everything he does? Absolutely not. That's a part of life that's part of having a brother, you're not gonna like everything he does. But you sit him down, you talk to him and you know let him know look, try this way because this route ain't work, whatever it may be.
"I'm just speaking in general, but I haven't had opportunity to talk to him because I've been on the go but I'm gonna catch up with him one day."
Chad Johnson trained with Antonio Brown after his successful 11-year NFL career
Like Antonio Brown, Chad Johnson was a very successful wide receiver.
He played in the NFL from 2001-2011 with the Cincinnati Bengals and a year with the New England Patriots. In his career, he totaled 11,059 yards, 766 receptions, and 67 touchdowns.
Chad Johnson’s Career Stats
• 11 Seasons (166 Games)
• 766 Receptions / 1,372 Targets
• 11,059 Receiving Yards
• 66.6 YPG, 14.4 YPR
• 67 Touchdowns
• 6x Pro Bowler (‘03-‘07, 2009)
• 4x All-Pro (1st: ‘04-‘06, 2nd: ‘03)
• 2006 receiving yards leader https://t.co/UTrzaEccLq
Johnson was named to six Pro Bowls and four All-Pros and led the league in receiving yards in 2006.
He has been training with Antonio Brown for quite a few years together in Florida amid all his controversy. Johnson showed that even though Brown is going through a lot and acting out, he still has support and wants him to do better.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Club Shay Shay and H/T Sportskeeda.