No team in the NFL has provided more off-the-field drama than the Steelers this season and that drama continued this week after Antonio Brown sent a threatening tweet to an ESPN writer.
Apparently, Brown became irate after ESPN's The Undefeated published a story last Friday that focused on the receiver and his social media use. In the lengthy piece, ESPN writer Jesse Washington tried to paint a picture of Brown's life outside of his social media use, a life that the public doesn't see. The title of the piece was "Antonio Brown is an Instagram All-Pro. But is that the full picture?"
In the story, Washington talked to Brown's former trainer and former chef, who were both let go after having a fallout with the wide receiver. The writer also spoke with the mother of one of Brown's children, a woman who is not on good terms with the receiver.
After the piece was published on Friday, Brown sent a threatening tweet to Washington.
That tweet came after Brown had sent Washington an Instagram message that said, "Bro stop hitting my people up looking for stories stay in your lane."
Threatening a writer definitely isn't a good look and Brown must have realize that because he offered an apology on Thursday. In a statement to the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette, Brown said that he needs to have "better control" over his actions.
"I made a mistake in judgment with my tweet last week, and I apologize for that," the statement to the Post-Gazette said. "It is not OK to threaten anyone, and I need to be better spiritually and professionally. Though I do not agree with the negative parts of the story about my personal life, I need to have better control over my actions to use social media as a way to engage with my fans, rather than use it improperly."
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was actually asked about the situation this week, but, from the sound of it, he didn't really want to get involved.
"You know, we could talk all day about things that are online or on the internet or on social media," Tomlin said, via ESPN.com. "I just choose to stay away from it because it's a waste of my time. There's very little accountability, there's very little journalistic integrity, etc. Guys say things they don't mean. I talk to my teenagers about it all the time. Let's keep it professional and in the real. I think that's appropriate in this setting."
This is actually the second time this year that Brown has shown his displeasure with a writer by shooting out a tweet. Back in August, Brown referred to a Post-Gazette reporter as a clown after the reporter tweeted out that Brown had been limping during training camp.
Brown isn't the only player causing drama for the Steelers on social media. Le'Veon Bell raised some eyebrows this week when he sent out a cryptic tweet following the Steelers' 21-21 tie with the Browns.
