When Antonio Brown called out Ben Roethlisberger for having 'owner mentality' - "It's a dirty game within a game"
When he first joined the NFL in 2010 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Antonio Brown was instantly identified as a future superstar, and he proved it the following year, becoming Ben Roethlisberger's new favorite passing target. Over the years, they become one of the best quarterback-receiver duos in the league, going as far as the AFC Championship game in 2016-17.
But their relationship, as detailed in this SBNation video, fell apart in 2018 with cracks starting to appear since the previous year:
Roethlisberger thought Brown's play had not justified his outspokenness, while Brown thought Roethlisberger's past successes did not excuse his purported tyranny over the team. And the wideout once expressed said tyranny in the tweet below:
"He has a(n) 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."
No conflict just a matter of respect! 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. #truth twitter.com/bouiwhatusati/…
What happened to Antonio Brown after the 2018 season?
The Steelers' 2018 campaign was one of the most dramatic in franchise history, as they went from leading the AFC North at 7-2-1 to missing the playoffs entirely at 9-6-1. Soon thereafter, Antonio Brown demanded a trade for 2019, and he got it, going to the Oakland Raiders.
However, he never played a game for the Silver and Black. During his brief stint with the team, he was involved in all sorts of controversies, and was eventually released literally hours before he would have received his contractual guarantee.
That same day, Antonio Brown eventually joined the New England Patriots, but he was cut after just one game after being accused of sexual misconduct. After serving an eight-week league suspension for his behavior in 2020, he reunited with Tom Brady, his quarterback in Foxboro; and Bruce Arians, his offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh, at Tampa Bay.
With the Buccaneers, he won Super Bowl LV, seemingly justifying his decision. But 2021 was filled with controversy, as he was banned from three games for misrepresenting his vaccination status, then cut by the team after leaving the field during a game against the Jets.
After not playing in 2022, Antonio Brown retired from football in March this year to focus on owning the Albany Empire, an arena football team in his childhood home of Albany. However, he unretired the following month, while the Empire suffered multiple embarrassments and was eventually kicked out of its league.