Media drives up pressure, says Brown
voluntary workouts in any of his previous eight seasons with the Steelers. Some news outlets reported Brown skipped some of them this year because starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was not attending, but he said that’s not the case.
“This is a tough time, the times we live, when you start thinking about it from the perspective of my kids, the time I miss from their lives, with me being away and they’re down in Florida,” Brown said. “I started to think about what’s important, if I’m playing football to make a lot of money? Or am I playing football to take care of my family? Those are some of the decisions I think about when I don’t come here every day.”
Brown made plenty of news when he was away from the Steelers, much of it the result of Instagram posts he wrote. In one post that drew national attention he seemed to indicate he had problems with coach Mike Tomlin and former offensive coordinator Bruce Arians.
Brown denied any friction with his coach or former coordinator, but he did say he felt good about speaking his mind.
“I don’t have a problem with anyone,” he said. “I just feel like as a player you play this game so much you never really get a chance to express yourself. Everyone is always telling us to bottle everything up and say nothing. When I reflect on my career, there are a lot of people who put a lot of pressure on me … when I take time to reflect on the guys who made it hard on me for no reason. I don’t hate those guys. I love those guys. But it’s good to get those things out of your mind in regards to people who put pressure on you.”
In his Instagram post Brown wrote about Arians: “Bruce Arians said he’s a special team guy he caint learn the plays hots n sites. Not Smart Enough Coach T Bench me on a bye week ; said two dogs one bone. God bless em #putsomerestpectonmyname”
Bob Labriola of Steelers.com confirmed in a question-and-answer session on the team’s web site that Arians wanted to release Brown and believed he would make a good practice squad player in 2010, Brown’s rookie year.
“I don’t resent anything,” Brown said. “People write stories about me and wonder why he didn’t play his rookie year. As a player you have to start expressing things to get it out of your head. I think the more you bottle stuff up and don’t express yourself that’s where these players have problems. But we don’t talk about the players who don’t play anymore, the guys who can’t remember anything because their whole careers they were taught to holds stuff in. We can’t really express ourselves at this level.”
Somehow, Brown managed to tie the mental health of retired players into his complaint, but it was clear he did not appreciate his coaches doubting him.
Brown then took aim at the media. He said his quote about wanting Le’Veon Bell to show up for OTAs was misinterpreted. He also said the stories of him not attending OTAs had nothing to do with Roethlisberger’s absence.
“I’ll play with any quarterback no matter who’s here,” Brown said. “I play with any quarterback. I play with the Steelers. It’s not one guy. You guys write the stories. I wake up to Google alerts. I’m constantly under pressure. I can’t go nowhere and work out by myself. Fans come meet me at the field. I can’t do anything normal. My mom and my kids see it. We have to deal with these types of things.
“I started to think to myself ‘Am I really free?’ I can’t really express myself in this game. I can’t really tell you guys how I feel. You guys put pressure on me all the time. Am I really free? I go to ask myself that in regards to taking away time from my kids. I had to get away to free my mind.”
Brown was upset that his comments also caused friction with his teammates, and he said the constant media spotlight has had a negative effect on his private life.
“People ask me about Le’Veon,” Brown said. “What do you think he should do? I just said show up to work out. Now you guys write the article saying Le’Veon should show up. There is constantly pressure. Am I really free? What am I really playing for this game for? To acquire records for who? When I’m done playing no one will remember what my stats were in 2016 or 2015. Those are things I have to clear my mind of, getting away from the game. There are a lot of issues this game presents that you guys aren’t really covering. I’m just left to deal with the madness from my household which guys make up and create. And no one really cares.”
What did Brown learn during his time away?
“I’m still under pressure,” he said. “You guys are still in my face asking me about not showing up to volunteer practice.
“That’s the world we live in, though.”
Ray Fittipaldo: rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @rayfitt1.