Antonio Brown’s ill-advised Facebook Live video, for better or worse, has created a little back-and-forth between the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of Sunday’s AFC Championship Game.
The Steelers wide receiver has come under fire for unknowingly broadcasting head coach Mike Tomlin’s postgame locker room speech last weekend. Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman weighed in Monday, suggesting in a radio appearance on WEEI that Brown’s invasion of privacy is a reflection of how Pittsburgh’s franchise is run, and that such an incident wouldn’t happen in New England’s locker room.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was asked to respond to Edelman’s comments Wednesday, and he defended his team pretty staunchly.
“I don’t think I need to speak much,” Roethlisberger said, via Pro Football Talk. “We’ve got our trophies out there.
“I’ve got owners that I think are the best in the business. They’re family to us, and I’m sure if (Edelman) talked to his owner, he would say the same thing about the Rooneys. Anybody in here in the football world or the regular world that owns the Rooneys knows what they stand for. It’s a blessing to call them a family.”
Roethlisberger has a point, as Pittsburgh’s NFL-best six Super Bowl victories speak for themselves. Still, you could argue the Steelers’ status as an elite NFL franchise makes an incident like Brown’s all the more surprising.
Of course, Roethlisberger still has plenty of respect for New England, but he and the Steelers have some criticisms to answer for after the distraction Brown created.
Thumbnail photo via Jay Biggerstaff/USA TODAY Sports Images
