Antonio Brown Slams Steelers

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PITTSBURGH -- Antonio Brown has been Pittsburgh Steelers-heavy on social media lately, making a case about how he'd return for "free" if they allowed him to wear Hines Ward's number 86. This came after he was upset about the team allowing Cordarrelle Patterson to wear No. 84. But after a few jokes about retiring jersey numbers and him taking No. 86 and No. 7, things took a turn.
Brown finished his day of Steelers talk by slamming the team on X. Posting a picture of the team's NFLPA report card, which didn't carry high grades for the team, he wrote "The Standard is the Standard."
The Standard is the Standard #CTESPN pic.twitter.com/QjlHDTHhAM
— AB (@AB84) April 5, 2024
The Steelers didn't do very well in the report card this offseason, with Team President Art Rooney II even receiving a failing grade and ranking 31st out of 32 owners.
"You know, we prefer to get our feedback directly from the players," Rooney responded during a media session at the NFL Meetings. "Not even sure you know, where that comes from. It doesn't get presented to us. It gets presented to the media. So, as far as I'm concerned, it's more of a media opportunity for the Players Association as opposed to a serious effort and constructive criticism. But having said that, you know, we look at improving our facilities every year and we'll continue to do that."
Brown taking aim at the Steelers isn't anything new, but for anyone who thought maybe he would return for free this season - those chances likely went flying long before he posted the report card.

Noah Strackbein is a Publisher for On SI, covering the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2019. A Jessup, PA native, Noah attended Point Park University, where he fell in love with the Steel City and everything it has to offer. You can find Noah's work at Steelers On SI and weekdays as the hosts of All Steelers Talk.
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