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PITTSBURGH – Antonio Brown does not want to be traded by the Steelers and was not with the team on Monday because he was dealing with a personal matter, said his agent on Tuesday.
Brown clashed with offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner in the 42-37 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday and said, "Exchange me, find out" with a former Steelers staffer. Roethlisberger.
"The tweet of yesterday did not refer to anything other than Antonio answering a person he knows," said Drew Rosenhaus, Brown's agent. "It was not an operation or an exchange, it was a personal response to a former Steelers employee who had insulted him, and any idea he asked for a trade was not accurate. Secondly, yesterday he had a personal problem.I discussed with the team about this, his problem had nothing to do with the tweet or his relationship with the team: thirdly , everything you see between AB and the coaches, AB has an incredible motivation to win.It is nothing more than to encourage his coaches and teammates to win, and that's all he's focused on, any notion, any speculation can be put to the bed of proportion, we can end it here and now. "
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin will meet Brown on Tuesday to discuss his absence and other problems with the All-Pro receiver.
"I look forward to seeing him today and discussing (the absence) and other things," Tomlin said at his weekly press conference Tuesday. "I will not go into the details of why he was not there or if he was excused, I guess leaving these things in. I sometimes understand that you have some negativity. We lost a football game, there was negative exchange on the touch, which is frustrating, because of not playing well and not winning, which I understand because we have the opportunity to react, especially at the beginning of the year, to use negative experiences to educate our team at this stage of the journey, it becomes a non-decisive factor as we progress. "
When asked if Brown really wanted to be traded, Tomlin laughed and said "no".
Brown was not in the locker room or part of the guided tour on Monday, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported for the first time that Brown did not show up at all.
Brown's "Trade Me" tweet was his second social media crisis in as many weeks. On Wednesday, Brown publicly apologized for a tweet threatening Jesse Washington, ESPN's senior editor, about a profile titled "Antonio Brown is an Instagram Pro user". But is it the complete picture?
Tomlin said he would not comment directly on events on social media, which have a "gray area" and "very little responsibility," but he made it clear that players needed to be held to a higher level.
"It's important that we understand our position, the light that strikes us and the responsibility that comes with it," said Tomlin. "There have been a few instances where you've asked about Antonio about some social media, I'm going to address that very directly with him, but I'll let him in between he and I. I won "I do not think this forum is appropriate. I think this forum is very professional.
When asked if he was tired that Brown was the same player he asked questions about on social media, Tomlin bristled and then showed his team's 0-1-1 record before the match. Monday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"I focus on real legitimate things, seriously," said Tomlin. "We have given up some big games, we are playing a team capable of playing big game, we have not won a match yet, these are the real things."
On his weekly radio show on Tuesday, Roethlisberger said he did not think Brown wanted to be exchanged but was planning to talk to his receiver on Wednesday. Tuesday is considered a day off for the team.
Brown and Roethlisberger have teamed up for five straight seasons of 100 shots together, and Brown is currently leading the NFL with 33 targets, 18 passes for 160 yards and one touchdown.
But Brown and Roethlisberger appeared to have a communication problem on a third goal in the final minutes against Kansas City, and Brown left the field by himself after Roethlisberger's fourth touchdown. zoned.
"I think it's just frustration," Roethlisberger said. "He is a competitor, he wants to be the best in the world and he probably is, I think he was frustrated and that he's taken from some people." a lot of credit to Randy not to lose it. "
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