Former Steelers Teammate Has An Unconventional Opinion Regarding The Change In Antonio Brown's Behavior After The Violent Burfict Hit

Pretty much every Pittsburgh Steelers fan in the world knows where they were when Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict delivered a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit on wide receiver Antonio Brown. The hit came during a game that was absolutely crazy, even by AFC North rivalry standards, full of aggression and penalties. 

It was the most typical AFC Wild Card game atmosphere possible. The Steelers were playing the Bengals in Cincinnati with both teams hoping for a much coveted playoff spot. The game was played on a cold Saturday night in January and the tension was thick. These two teams hate each other and there is nothing subtle about it. 

The Bengals had an air of desperation about them, victory was so close, they could taste it and this was unfamiliar territory for Cincinnati. At that time, in 2016, they hadn't won a playoff game since 1991 when Boomer Esiason was their quarterback. Now with only a minute and a half left in the game, they were about to break a losing streak that had lasted decades. 

To further set the scene, the Bengals had just scored on a pass from AJ McCarron to A.J. Green. Then the Steelers took the field, with Landry Jones coming in for a banged-up Ben Roethlisberger. The Bengals just knew they had this in the bag. No Roethlisberger to save the day? Seemed like a slam dunk when Jones threw an interception and they got the ball back.

But Cincinnati will be Cincinnati and Jeremy Hill fumbled the ball, Steelers recovered, and like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Roethlisberger hobbled back onto the field. He tells his offense what he needs and promises them a win. His shoulder was clearly painful and it was quickly obvious he wasn't getting off any long passes. All the Bengals had to do was contain the Steelers offense. 

After picking up some yardage on some shorter plays, Roethlisberger got the Steelers down to the Bengals 47-yard line and then the unimaginable happened. Roethlisberger tried to throw a pass to Antonio Brown on first down. Before Brown could make the catch, Burfict committed what looked like attempted murder on the field. It was a clear case of targeting, lowering his head, and spearing him, just a brutal hit. 

He probably should have been thrown out of the league. After all, this wasn't his first, last, or only infraction. Instead, the Bengals gave up 15 yards on the penalty. The Steelers were able to win the game 18-16 and advance in the playoffs. 

That hit was particularly vicious and it would not have surprised anyone if it had done permanent damage to Brown. In fact, given all of Brown's very dramatic antics since then, many wonder if it did. Did the hit from Burfict leave Brown with some form of CTE that has impaired his judgment? While there is no medical way to be certain until an autopsy can be performed (and we all hope Brown has a long and healthy life), it certainly seems plausible. Now one of Brown's former teammates weighs in on how he thinks that hit impacted him and the answer might surprise you. 

Steelers' Ramon Foster Has An Interesting Take   

While Brown had shown some excessive hubris while in Pittsburgh, his behavior seemed to really go off the rails after leaving the team. To this day, Brown is still constantly in the news. He now owns an arena football team in upstate New York and his behavior, primarily his ego, has gotten them kicked out of the National Arena League of which they were a member.

Former Steelers offensive guard Ramon Foster worked alongside the receiver for Brown's whole nine years in Pittsburgh. He now co-hosts a podcast with reporter Dejan Kovacevic called The Ramon Foster Show, which airs on DK Pittsburgh Sports. On a recent episode, a fan wrote in and asked Foster if he thinks that the hit from Burfict is what has caused all of Brown's chaotic behavior. Foster starts off by saying he wants to make it clear that Brown wasn't a "problem child" on the team. 

"AB [Antonio Brown] wasn't an issue on the field. I'll say this, in the locker room - model citizen, on the field - model citizen. Outside the building, other than later legal stuff, I can't name a lot. Now maybe some stuff was hushed, but he wasn't an issue."

According to Foster, he feels Brown was a solid teammate and notes that he didn't see the behaviors we are seeing now. He also notes that traumatic events impact everyone differently. While it is possible that actual physical damage was done to Brown when he was hit, Foster also thinks that the damage might be something else. 

"When people have traumatic stuff happen, sometimes you have that 'screw it' factor about life. I think that's what that hit may have done, I don't think it knocked any screws loose, it may have just made him think to himself, 'Man, I might get hurt, could almost die, why should I care this much more when I give myself to this game.' I think what the hit did to AB was raise the not give a doggone factor."

Simply enough, Foster thinks that Brown feels he had a brush with death and it made him more reckless. Regardless of the reasons, Brown has become a very polarizing figure in the NFL. While many feel he has the stats to become an NFL Hall of Famer, they also feel his actions will prohibit him from making it in. Some see Brown as a person struggling with mental health issues and others see him as selfish. 

What do you think about Foster's opinion? Do you think the hit gave Brown a "screw it" attitude? Or do you think that the hit did actual damage to Brown and it caused physiological changes? Click to comment below. 

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