As teammates for the Pittsburgh Steelers, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Antonio Brown were the premier wide receiver duo in the NFL. Then, the fallout happened. Brown requested a trade, bleached his mustache, didn't mince harsh words for the team, and finally got out to his new destination: the Oakland Raiders.
In doing so, Brown seemingly ruined his relationship with Smith-Schuster, who once took him under his wing. In the offseason, Brown lashed out at Smith-Schuster on social media. In doing so, he re-posted a screenshot of the conversation between the two when Smith-Schuster asked Brown for advice while at USC.
Brown also blamed Smith-Schuster publicly for his Week 16 fumble against the New Orleans Saints as the reason why the team didn't go to the playoffs in 2018. In addition, he slighted Smith-Schuster when he won the Steelers' team MVP award.
Smith-Schuster wishes that he can mend the wounds in their relationship. He doesn't hate the now-Raider, but knows that he looks at it a different way.
“I’m surely kind of bummed the way it ended. I felt like if we were ever in the same room, I wish we could build that relationship back up again and have that bond,” Smith-Schuster said of he and Brown, per Stephen Nesbitt of The Athletic. “I don’t hate him at all whatsoever. I wish I could be able to still have that connection and bond and still talk to him. But obviously he looks at it a different way. It is what it is.”
There may not be much Smith-Schuster can do to repair that relationship, but at least the Steelers' offense now revolves around his receiving skill set rather than Brown's.