Martavis Bryant Missed Mandatory Meetings Monday
Steelers receiver Martavis Bryant missed mandatory team meetings Monday, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Guard Ramon Foster told Bouchette that he thinks Bryant called out sick, but he wasn't sure what happened with him.
This comes after Bryant mentioned teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster in a since-deleted Instagram comment. In response to someone writing to Bryant that, "JuJu's better," Bryant wrote, "Juju is no where near better than me fool all they need to do is give me what I want and y'all can have juju and who ever else." In another comment, Bryant called Smith-Schuster the "future" and said he wanted to see him succeed, but that he also wants his own personal success.
It was reported last week that Bryant or his representatives asked the Steelers for a trade, although Bryant denied ever asking to be moved.
• Martavis Bryant's Trade Request Shows That Things Aren't Quite Right in Pittsburgh
Bryant, 25, had one catch for three yards in Pittsburgh's 29-14 win over the Bengals Sunday. Smith-Schuster, the Steelers' second-round pick from the 2017 draft, had two catches for 39 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown.
Smith-Schuster told reporters he and Bryant "are totally cool" and have been friends since he arrived in Pittsburgh, according to Bouchette. Foster said he wished Bryant was around to answer questions and added that it was "not cool from a teammate perspective" for Bryant to make the comments he did on social media and then not show up, forcing his teammates to answer questions about his actions.
Bryant has been in Pittsburgh since he was drafted there in the fourth round of th 2014 draft. He missed all of last season with a suspension for repeated drug violations. For his career he has 94 receptions for 1,548 yards and 15 touchdowns.
If the Steelers do want to trade Bryant this season, they have until the Oct. 31 trade deadline to make it happen.
