The hot topic of discussion this week is a series of events which started over a week ago with Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown leading up to and through the team’s final regular season game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

There’s a lot of information out there, and most of it is based off of a single tweet, by the most polarizing sports media figure in the Pittsburgh market, which manifested into further inquiries by local media:

I'm told AB could have played yesterday, but didn't want to. Feels underappreciated &got angry over JuJu MVP. Knee was banged up, but he could have played through it. You don't win w/guys like AB.

— Mark Madden (@MarkMaddenX) December 31, 2018

There are many questions surrounding the situation and the timeline, such as this story breaking on Monday morning despite Brown’s so-called incident occurring on Wednesday. Here are some of the highlights and how best I’ve made sense of them.

AB didn’t practice last week

According to Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, Brown reported to Wednesday’s practice feeling discomfort in his knee. Per coach’s usual protocol, he gives some veterans a day off.

He came in on Wednesday and expressed soreness in his lower body, feet, ankles, knees specifically, a knee. It was no big deal from that perspective, it happens some with veteran players. I give them a day off, I work younger guys, it’s not only about their protection and preservation but it’s also about the growth and development of younger guys.

I’ve done it at the quarterback position routinely this year just about every week, very rarely does Ben [Roethlisberger] work on a Wednesday. I do it at the center position with Maurkice Pouncey. I do it at the guard position on Thursday with Ramon Foster, to name a few. I’ve done it at the wide out position in the past when A.B. was young. It was a big day for him because it wasn’t a big day for a guy like Hines Ward so that was not a big deal for us.

Nothing was out of the ordinary until Thursday, when Brown showed up as “DNP” once again with a new label of “knee” next to “coaches’ decision”.

We came in on Thursday, he expressed he continued to feel that discomfort.

Brown would also miss Friday’s practice, which is when Tomlin says he last spoke with him. Brown was to have an MRI done, but it wasn’t until later that Mike Tomlin would discover AB didn’t go as scheduled.

Something happened with a “teammate” on Wednesday

The “sources” of this story mentioned that Brown got into a shouting match with a “teammate” and further, it’s reported threw a football at the feet Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger denied the confrontation or that anything was amiss on his weekly radio show:

If there was a blowup, I sure as heck didn’t see it.

Big Ben also says he talked to Brown Thursday morning and that “everything was great.”

Others took Brown’s “blowup” different ways, including asking to be traded. CBS NFL insider Jason La Canfora was the first to break news that Antonio Brown wanted a trade out of Pittsburgh following Wednesday’s practice “episode”.

Antonio Brown has requested a trade. Im told it was not a demand but he has asked to be dealt. Very unlikely Rooney would capitulate. Brown has issues with Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger. Feels like the coach is too aligned with the QB.

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 1, 2019

La Canfora, was on the Jim Rome Show recently to talk about Antonio Brown wanting out of Pittsburgh.

He went so far as to double-down on his position of what he heard even when others were saying the news was being blown out of proportion.

My understanding of the situation surrounding #Steelers WR Antonio Brown: As he exited the field in frustration on Wednesday, he yelled, "I’m done!" Then wondered why they don’t trade him. More venting in anger than anything. He has not made any actual trade request, officially.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 1, 2019

Tomlin said hes not going to speculate on any trade demands made by Antonio Brown. I stand 1000% by my reporting that a trade request was made

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 2, 2019

Whatever happened, it appears to be up and down the spectrum of a major issue or just a frustrated flare up. According to Tomlin, Brown has not officially appealed to be dealt by the Steelers:

I am not going to speculate on trades and things of that nature. We haven’t formally received a request in that regard, so I am not going to speculate.

AB no-showed Saturday’s walkthrough

As noted by Tomlin in his press conference, Brown was absent for the team’s walkthrough Saturday morning.

Then, after Friday’s business was done, it became difficult to communicate and catch up with him. I was not able to communicate with him Friday evening or Saturday morning so when we had our Saturday morning mock game or walk-through, and we hadn’t communicated with him, then it became something altogether different.

We decided to focus our energy on the guys that were working and prepared to work and present. So, those are the guys that we prepared to play in the football game.

This likely led to the decision to bench him for Sunday’s game.

Brown’s agent calls Tomlin Sunday

Tomlin continues:

Woke up Sunday morning and got a call from his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. Drew expressed that he was feeling better and we would potentially be able to participate.

I outlined to Drew that decisions weren’t made like that, but I would be interested in visiting with him in person at the stadium prior to the game but playing wasn’t on the menu so Drew relayed that to him.

My take: it was already too little, too late for Brown’s participation in the game. With AB going MIA over the last 24 or more hours, the Steelers head coach had to make a decision with whom to play in a must-win situation.

This isn’t much unlike an injury scenario with a player sitting out most of the week’s practice sessions, healthy and perhaps ready to go on Sunday, but ruled out regardless due to missing the necessary game preparation. It’s likely Brown, an All-Pro receiver and veteran on the team, took this news the wrong way and was looking for preferential treatment. (That much I can both understand and sympathize with, even if Coach Tomlin did not.)

Tomlin talks with Antonio prior to Sunday’s game

Tomlin got his face-to-face meeting with Antonio Brown on Sunday, which would be the last time he spoke with him:

I met with A.B. prior to the game, he asked what he can do, I said the best thing he can do in terms of helping us win the game is be there in support of his teammates. He agreed to do that.

We had a general conversation about his overall health. I sent him to the training staff to visit with those guys who obviously were at the stadium readying people for play and that was the last conversation he and I had.

If taken at face value, Tomlin was under the impression that Brown was still hurt and wanted to get him rest in the event the Steelers made the postseason.

Great detail from @AKinkhabwala @nflnetwork on the Antonio Brown story. Jersey was ready in his locker, teammates expected him to play, never even took the field, left at halftime.

— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) December 31, 2018

My take: that makes complete sense to me, even if it’s now how Brown views the situation.

AB left at halftime

Brown was seen in a fancy winter coat observing the game from the sidelines. However, there are reports he didn’t stay at Heinz Field for the whole duration.

A member of the [Steelers] organization told NFL Network report Aditi Kinkhabwala that Brown left Heinz Field at halftime Sunday, though Mike Tomlin could not verify whether or not that happened:

I hear that he left the stadium, I don’t confirm that because again I was concentrated around the guys that were performing in-stadium and things of that nature.

It’s unknown if he was excused or who the the “member of the Steelers” is that gave Kinkhabwala the information. It hasn’t been substantiated by any other Steelers and with a million cameras around, one would think this information would’ve leaked instantly (as was the case when former Steelers RB LeGarrette Blount skipped out on a game years ago).

AB’s Instagram antics

Brown further stoked fires throughout the coming days by unfollowing the official Steelers Instagram account, then playfully (and publicly) chatting it up with San Francisco TE George Kittle.

While you were sleeping…. pic.twitter.com/baUi0zbOVQ

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 1, 2019

It’s an odd set of circumstances following a player who was hoping to still be playing this weekend:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Br37Q0VBTDh/

Yet, Brown continued to stoke the fires, going after former Steelers teammate, now ESPN analyst Ryan Clark:

Antonio Brown called Ryan Clark "Uncle Tom.” pic.twitter.com/6069ZzuNlC

— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) January 2, 2019

Brown then announced he would be doing an “exclusive interview” with another polarizing former Steeler, James Harrison. Considering the way the franchise’s all-time sacks leader, Harrison, left the team last season, as well as his constant harsh criticism of head coach Mike Tomlin, it doesn’t take much to connect the dots and see that the receiver may be unhappy.

Antonio Brown about to have an "exclusive interview" with former #Steelers LB James Harrison. [Via Instagram]

James Harrison has been highly critical of Mike Tomlin.https://t.co/uZhLDXliHr

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 2, 2019

However, during Tomlin’s final press conference of the season, Brown made it a point to express his opinion by making this post to his Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsI_PgDhKG7/

Brown was in a singing contest last week

Antonio Brown appeared on the debut of FOX’s new series The Masked Singer, leading some to speculate if that’s where the disgruntled Steelers went missing.

Just found out where @AB84 has been all week!! The @MaskedSingerFOX LMAO! #TheMaskedSinger pic.twitter.com/KUALaYZdWX

— Pumpkinhead 🎃 (@PumpkinNation) January 3, 2019

In all likelihood, the show was recorded during the offseason and perhaps even suggests why Brown went absent from a few training camp sessions. (After all, wouldn’t they want to keep the identity of these singers top secret as to not ruin the surprise?)

There’s FOX suggest more NFL players will be unmasked in future episodes. According to Fox, between all of the celebrity competitors on “The Masked Singer,” they’ve amassed 65 Grammy nominations, 16 multi-Platinum albums, 16 Emmy nominations, nine Broadway shows, four stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and four Super Bowl titles.

Seeing as Antonio Brown hasn’t won a Super Bowl, we haven’t seen the last of football players on the show.

Conclusion

You can read into this situation however you’d like. The one thing I ask is that you inform yourself as much as possible before drawing conclusions. Heck, if there’s something I missed (from an official source) feel free to leave it in the comments to further flesh out this timeline and situation.

As it stands, Brown could’ve easily deleted this post, made less than two weeks ago on the day of the Steelers/Saints game:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrvaN8mBvUl/

In New Orleans, Brown had his biggest game of the season, catching 14 of 19 targets for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Which makes the occurrences since even more bizarre. The only thing I can say is, I highly doubt it has anything to do with a team “MVP” award…

Update: MVP award

When I initially wrote this article I was poking fun at Mark Madden’s tweet about Antonio Brown being upset over fellow WR JuJu Smith-Schuster being voted the team’s MVP. Looks like that idea is even more preposterous based on this timeline provided by The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly:

I asked a player after practice on Dec. 26 about the team MVP vote. He said, "oh are we doing that tomorrow?" That leads me to believe that the vote occurred Thur morning (was announced Thur afternoon) so why was AB 'reportedly' upset about not getting named MVP Wed morning?

— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) January 3, 2019