PITTSBURGH, PA -DECEMBER 16: Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (19) and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) look on during the NFL football game between the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 16, 2018 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
After calling out JuJu Smith-Schuster yesterday, Antonio Brown has returned to social media to share more of his thoughts on the Steelers receiver.
Antonio Brown just finished using social media to force his way out of Pittsburgh by demonstrating his thoughts on the organization and explaining how he was done there. Soon after, he got his wish with a trade to the Raiders and the new contract that he had been waiting for.
Now, he is using social media in a more malicious sense. Yesterday, he took shots at JuJu Smith-Schuster in regarding to Smith-Schuster being named the Steelers team MVP. He decided to point out Smith-Schuster’s fumble against the Saints in Week 16, which significantly hurt the Steelers playoff chances. It was Smith-Schuster’s first fumble of his career. After Smith-Schuster responded kindly on Twitter, seeming to take the high road, Brown wasn’t done. Today, he shared with the world a DM he received from Smith-Schuster in 2015 asking for advice.
This is a terrible look for Brown. Attacking Smith-Schuster yesterday was a mistake, and doubling down on it today was even worse. There is nothing wrong about a college player seeing if he can learn anything from one of the most talented receivers of our generation. Smith-Schuster approached Brown with kindness and respect in his request for any tips.
After Smith-Schuster played in all 16 games last year, with 111 catches for 1,426 yards he cemented himself as a fan favorite. Being a top tier performer for the Steelers, combined with his social media presence and lovable celebration has made him a cult hero, and the worst possible person for Brown to try and attack. Twitter rushed to Smith-Schuster’s defense, pointing out that Brown didn’t play in all 16 games last year and has a higher fumble to catch ratio in his career than Smith-Schuster.
The whole situation has been bad for Brown, because while Smith-Schuster appears to have only respected him as a mentor, Brown just cannot stop taking shots at him.