Antonio Brown has pleaded to retire as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but has the former All-Pro receiver burned too many bridges?
It wasn’t all that long ago that fans thought we were seeing a Hall of Fame career unfold before our eyes. Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown was a legend in the making. He defied the odds to become one of the most successful late-round draft choices in the history of the NFL.
Sadly, his career started to spiral out of control following the 2018 season with the Steelers. When the off-field issues started to pile up to a point of no return, Brown forced his way out of Pittsburgh and did not leave the team on good terms.
The smoke has settled since then, but the name Antonio Brown still leaves a bitter taste in our mouths after the headache he caused this franchise. Four years later, Brown has no connection whatsoever with the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, he did take to Twitter with one final request to the team that first gave him his opportunity.
On May 16th, Brown voiced that he wants to ‘retire a Steeler.’
Just wanna Retire A Steeler
— AB (@AB84) May 16, 2022
Brown had a follow-up tweet to clear up that he does not want to play for Pittsburgh again. He simply wants the opportunity to retire from the game and be considered a member of the black and gold.
Over his thoroughly impressive NFL career, Brown has compiled 928 receptions for 12,291 yards and 83 touchdowns. He earned seven Pro Bowls and four First-Team All-Pros with Pittsburgh, but should they allow him to retire as a member of the Steelers?
Should Steelers grant Brown his request?
This might not be a formal request to the organization, but it’s very clear that Antonio Brown still wants to go down as a Steelers legend. But would the Rooney family ever grant him permission to do so?
Pittsburgh is the city of bridges, and AB managed to burn every one of them. Bad blood and bitter feelings between two parties aren’t something that is ever guaranteed to go away. Even if Brown reached out to make amends, it’s unclear how the fanbase would react.
While there are probably a group of fans out there who are willing to let bygones be bygones, I’m willing to guess that the majority of the fan base wants nothing more to do with him after the state he left this team in.
When you picture a retirement ceremony for Antonio Brown, is it cheers or boos you hear in your head? My guess is that his retirement speech would be met with the same level of respect as Roger Goodell walking on stage at the opening of the NFL Draft: none at all.
I think it’s important to forgive, but fans won’t soon forget the turmoil AB put this team through. If Brown does officially reach out to the organization to ask to retire as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, I would be very interested in hearing how that whole conversation goes.