The fractured relationship between former Pittsburgh Steelers Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger has been widely covered over the years. This unfortunate split marked the end of a remarkable QB-WR partnership that dominated the NFL for nearly a decade.
Wide receiver Antonio Brown made a surprising admission about his relationship with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. During an appearance on “The Pivot Podcast,” Brown took a moment to praise his former quarterback. The seven-time Pro Bowler credited Roethlisberger with jumpstarting his professional career.
Ben Roethlisberger vouching for Antonio Brown
“Ben Roethlisberger the only reason I even started starting for the Steelers. Literally he had to go tell (then-offensive coordinator) Bruce Arians like yo I need AB at the X. Let me have him run these plays,” the former Steelers WR said.
Arians, who was Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator when Brown joined the team in 2010, later teamed up with him again to win a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brown has not played in the NFL since departing from a game in 2021.
Brown notoriously left the Steelers during a practice before their crucial Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018. After a heated argument with Roethlisberger, Brown never returned to the team and was traded to the Oakland Raiders in the offseason.
Antonio Brown stated that Arians hindered his progress during their time together. He mentioned that his therapist advised him to leave the field to avoid traumatic situations, which led to his abrupt exit.
Despite his lingering animosity toward Arians, Brown's feelings toward Roethlisberger seem to have mellowed over time. In 2019, he called his former quarterback a “loser,” but he issued an apology the following year.
Antonio Brown's time with the Steelers
The Steelers selected Brown in the sixth round (195th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft. During his rookie season, he contributed to Pittsburgh's run to Super Bowl 45, although they ultimately lost to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
From there, Antonio Brown emerged as one of the NFL's elite wide receivers. In 2011, he posted a 69-1108-2 stat line. Over his career, he earned seven Pro Bowl selections and four First-team All-Pro honors, leading the league in receiving yards twice.
Brown rewrote the record books for the Steelers, accumulating 837 receptions for 11,207 receiving yards and 74 receiving touchdowns. His performance over an eight-year period stands out as one of the most dominant stretches by a wide receiver in NFL history.
Following his time with the Steelers, Brown won a Super Bowl 55 championship with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 season. However, he was released late in the 2021 season after leaving a game against the New York Jets following an argument with Arians.
The former Steelers' WR Brown's behavior and legal issues off the field derailed what appeared to be a Hall of Fame trajectory for him. It's also concerning that he was released by four different teams, including the Raiders and New England Patriots, within a span of three years.
Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger remain one of the best NFL duos of all time, but it's impossible not to ponder what greater achievements they could have attained if their relationship hadn't deteriorated.
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