The Fall of a Future Hall of Famer

Staff Writer: Harvey Atsma

Photo Credit: SportsYahoo.com Antonio Brown pointing towards the fans during the prime of his career.

A young promising wide receiver, Antonio Brown, was taken in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

He fell late in the rounds due to his size and the fact he wasn’t coming from a big-time football program.

A reporter at the time stated, “Brown’s route running skills could use some refinement.” This statement is disregarded later on because Brown came to be one of the best route runners in the league.

Brown was able to turn heads quickly in his second season in the NFL. In his second season, Brown hauled in 1,108 yards for two touchdowns. These stats aren’t super impressive, but the fact he was able to break 1,000 yards in his second season is a solid start.

He began to develop into a superstar receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Into 2013, is when Brown began his role of being one of the hardest receivers to cover in the NFL. He caught 110 receptions for 1,499 yards and 8 touchdowns. Antonio Brown holds the record for most catches and receiving yards for over a five-year span. In 2018, Brown had 104 receptions for almost 1,300 yards and an impressive 15 touchdowns.

The 2019 season…Brown accounts for 4 receptions for 56 yards and 1 touchdown. The big question people must wonder is, how does a person dominate his position in the NFL for so long than have not a single team interested in him after his career run? Well, he didn’t get the name Antonio “Clown” by a mistake.

Photo Credit: BleacherReport.com Antonio Brown after being traded to the Oakland Raiders

Antonio Brown forced his way out of the Steelers organization. It all started with his negative attitude against the Steelers coach, Mike Tomlin, and quarterback Ben Rothlisberger. After all that complication he was traded to the Oakland Raiders. Many fans thought this situation was strange and some even sided with Brown.

Brown was quickly payed his worth at the raiders and was set up for a promising season due to his high skill level. During the off season with the Raiders, Brown suffered a frostbite injury after a cryotherapy session. Brown, at this time, was at the top of the sports headlines for this unusual incident and his view on the situation. This incident had to be the start of his career going downhill.

He was later fined by the Raiders, which Brown blew the situation out of proportion by getting into an alteration with the general manager and broadcasting the issue all over his social media. The Raiders decided to suspend Brown which voided his $30 million guaranteed. Once everyone thought the situation was under control after Brown’s apology. Brown took to social media once again and posted a phone call with the head coach, Jon Gruden, which ended up being the final straw for Brown and the Raiders.

Many fans were confused about Browns decisions and motives and were wondering if he would ever play again. Shortly after this release, the Patriots were the first team to secure this talented receiver. Even though Brown has undeniable talent, his work ethic and personality poses a strong risk to an NFL team.

The Patriots felt adding Brown to their elite offense, lead by Tom Brady, would be a success. The lineup looked more than promising on paper, but a person’s character can be more impactful to a team than just skill level.

Sportswriter, Michael Deprisco, said this about the Patriots, “If there’s any team that can take in a personality like this and make his talent stand above everything else, it’s New England.” Brown’s character took the wrong path and really just turned into a cancer for any team.

Apparently, not even the Patriots could change his attitude towards the game. Brown was only able to play in one game as a New England patriot after rape allegations surfaced. Brown’s former trainer, Britney Taylor, files civil suits accusing brown of multiple incidents of sexual assault.

Photo Credit: ClutchPoints.com Illustration of Antonio brown on Patriots.

Once Antonio Brown was able to get under the skin of almost everyone he encountered and not even take responsibility for his actions he faced the consequences. The football helmet company Xenith ends their relationship with the star receiver after negative views on him. It got even worse for Brown when Nike decided to cut their relations with the athlete as well.

After all these incidents that Brown has done, it’s no longer considered an honest mistake and more of attention-seeking attitude. He took to social media once again confronting many people like Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, and former teammate Ben Rothlisberger and stating how he won’t play in the NFL again.

Later on, he states he wants to play in the NFL again, so at this point his word can’t be taken very seriously. After all the negative wrap on Brown this year, he now has a warrant for his arrest after supposedly robbing and assaulting a truck driver.

People that honored Brown during his prime years of football most likely lost all respect for the athlete. Brown definitely had the skill to be a hall of Famer and cement his career as one of the best receivers in game. Now, I believe Brown has completely ended his career and it would take an extreme effort for a team to place them on their roster.