Former Steelers Great Antonio Brown Disappoints Albany Again By Not Playing Despite Promise

The Pittsburgh Steelers are no strangers to the drama that seems to follow and surround former All-Pro receiver, Antonio Brown. It never fails that whenever another story pops up about his antics, self-involved quotes, or confusing and vague explanations reasons, the football world pauses to take a quick peek into the bizarre world that exists when you are known as "AB". His latest attention-grabbing bit of breaking news was when he told reporters that he would be playing for his National Arena League team against the Fayetteville Mustangs following an Albany Empire practice session. Apparently, that information didn't break Brown's way either.

Steelers Watch As Brown Continues To Exude Drama

The last time the football world saw Brown as an active player on the field was when he decided that things weren't going the way he envisioned with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers so, in typical Brown fashion, he managed the situation. For some that would mean having a conversation with the front office, coaches or even Tom Brady, who was still under center for the Buccaneers and an instrumental in getting Brown onto the team. That is not how Brown dealt with his discontentment as Ian Rappoport tweeted that day in January 2022.

No longer in the NFL, Brown has been involved with the National Arena League, buying 47.5% of the Albany Empire in early March, but in a way that only Brown could facilitate, things in Albany have been anything but successful. From Brown saying he actually owned 100% of the Albany team to payments to players not going through or being missed completely, things under Brown's ownership have hardly gone the way legitimate investors hoped it would.

The Steelers put up with Brown's antics and personal challenges mainly because, despite what happened off the field when he played football, it was still a winning recipe. That is not what is currently happening in Albany, and perhaps everything going on behind the scenes could be brushed aside if Brown had managed to bring that winning essence to the team, but prior to Brown saying he would suit up with the squad, the Empire had lost their last four and sat at 1-4 on the season.

Needless to say, Brown's football success and talent haven't translated into anything since his venture into Arena football and that trend was not going to end anytime soon.

Steelers Stifle Chuckle As Brown Misses Arena Debut

In the past, Brown has had many reasons for why he wasn't able to take the field. Brown claimed he had frostbite while with the Las Vegas Raiders (then Oakland), he told news outlets that his sideline departure from the Buccaneers was actually because he had been told to play despite having an injury, and the impact from his large amount of concussions has certainly taken its toll. His reasons for not being able to suit up for the Empire are less clear and not nearly as entertaining, though.

All signs were pointing to Brown making good on his announcement, but as the day progressed, the news coming out about Brown's playing situation became less positive. AJ Pankowski of CBS 6 Albany News reported that he had been told by those close to the situation that it was looking less likely that Brown would come through on his playing announcement.

"I was told early in the day it wasn't looking good for Brown to suit up. Despite teasing he'd play more than a week ago, his paperwork and physical still wasn't in on time."

This was a strange piece of information, considering that the Commissioner of the National Arena League, Chris Siegfried, had recently said that since Brown was a team owner, he wouldn't need a physical in order to take the field for the Empire. Siegfried was less than pleased at Brown's decision, reiterating to WNYT News Channel 13 Sports Director, Rodger Wyland, that if Brown truly wanted to play like he had promised, he had the ability as an owner to override the usual process.

Steelers Dodged A Bullet As Antonio Brown Drama Persists

Hindsight is 20/20 and a nice reminder that the Steelers do not have to directly deal with any of Brown's issues or excuses, as entertaining as they can be. Despite not suiting up for the game against Fayetteville, Brown was on the sidelines, interacting with fans and acting as though over 4,000 people hadn't shown up based on his promise to play. 

When Brown spoke to Wyland from WNYT about the situation, it hardly seemed apologetic or even like someone who understood the disappointment he had caused. He tried to smooth things over by saying the news outlet hadn't lied to their viewers about Brown taking the field, but the contrition wasn't present as he immediately went back to making promises that don't hold up well against his track record.

“Stay tuned, AB’s coming. There’s proper procedures you’ve got to do to play football. You’ve got to pass the coach, the commissioner. You’ve got to be in physical condition. You can’t just pop up, so I’ve got to get my feet wet. We’ve got to get the proper equipment. We’ve got to do the right thing, but I am going to be playing. You didn’t lie. Everything is going to fall in place,”

Whether he ends up playing or not, the Steelers can sleep soundly knowing it has literally no impact on them whatsoever. Do you think Brown was justified in not playing for his team against Fayetteville, or was it just another excuse? 

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