It seems like every former member of the Pittsburgh Steelers wants a piece of the discussion involving Antonio Brown and the constant headlines.
You know it’s getting bad when players outside the media begin to talk. First, it was Ryan Clark and Emmanuel Sanders. Now, it’s Hines Ward, and if the future Hall of Famer sees a problem within this organization, it usually means there is one.
In his appearance on Barstool Sports, Ward spoke about the current state of the Pittsburgh Steelers. A player who used most of his career to de-flame the New England Patriots dynasty used his former rivals to breakdown his feels in the Steelers locker room.
Ward said the Steelers are “embarrassing” and explained that the Patriots have proven that if you keep players accountable then success usually follows.
"“I look at what happened with Malcolm Butler, being late for a meeting and missing the Super Bowl,” Ward told Barstool Sports. “That’s the culture, and that’s the Patriots’ way. There’s no one guy that’s bigger than the team. You do what Coach (Bill) Belichick says, and everyone else is held accountable.”"
Ward was never a fan of Tom Brady of Bill Belichek. During his playing days, he accused them of cheating in 2002, but has since found respect for one of the greatest coach-quarterback duos of all-time.
For the Steelers, they need to take his advise. Spending the offseason doing nothing is going to lead to the same results in 2019. The culture is the problem in Pittsburgh and if it’s fixed, they have a strong chance to get back on track towards a Super Bowl.
There are going to be input from everyone who considers the Steelers locker room home. Ward’s voice is heard loud and proud in Pittsburgh, and should carry some noise to the coaches and front office.
Everyone is aware something needs to change before it’s gets even worse. How could it get worse? It’s hard to say, but looking back, no one saw it getting this bad before it did, leaving major concern that it could in fact, be worse.
Expect more players to continue to voice their opinion as the Steelers and Antonio Brown make headlines.