Art Rooney II Says It’s ‘Hard To Envision’ Antonio Brown Being On Team Come Training Camp

[AtlantaDan]

So why is the post trolling ARJ?

If it was one act in isolation could spin it all sorts of ways

But AB apparently has not spoken with anyone associated with the team since his halftime departure on December 30

AJRII says Brown has refused to talk with him then Brown immediately posts that after the AJRII interview breaks today

Just as he pops up at Harrison's on Instagram immediately after Tomlin's press conference last week after not returning Tomlin's calls either

But that is simply my perspective. As AJRII said in apparent exasperation this afternoon, "maybe he decides to come talk to us some day and we learn more about where he is."

[pczach]

So why is the post trolling ARJ?

Anyone that publicly posts a picture of the two of them shaking hands together but won't return the man's phone calls is simply being an asshole. This man signs his checks and signed off on the contract that got him paid all that money....but he won't pay him the common courtesy of returning his boss's phone calls when he is the one that abandoned his entire team and is still getting paid?

Trying to paint a picture to the public that he respects the owner, and privately pissing on his cereal when he reached out to him to try to settle things? That's some first class hypocrisy and trolling right there IMO.

[teegre]

Trade AB to the Cardinals for Kyler Murray.

[Shoes]

Trade AB to the Cardinals for Kyler Murray.

I figured you would smell a trade.

[teegre]

I figured you would smell a trade.

If anything... I’m consistent.

[Butch]

True. But I am only talking about right now and on the football field. The Steelers did not miss the playoffs because of AB acting out. More likely AB is acting out because the Steelers didn’t have the division locked up in week 14. I don’t think it is 2 players that just simply cannot get along either. This team is better with AB part of this offense.

I am not so sure about that. I get the feeling that AB wants the ball weather he is open and able to make the play or not. I think in order to appease him there were several times when Ben tried forcing the ball to AB and they just didn't connect. IMHO it seemed that Brown was either not trying as hard as he had in the past or simply has declining skills, not all the time but enough times that it makes you wonder what is going on. Also the fact that this happened right around the time that Ju Ju was named MVP tells me that Brown was pouting and maybe that pouting is what caused this whole situation to explode.

[Lady Steel]

*sigh*

It was Jerry Gulac of the PPG who broke this story, not Steelers Depot, and it was all over Twitter and probably Instagram, although I'm not sure about Instagram because I don't have an Instagram account.

The picture that AB posted in his Instagram post was attached to that article by the PPG. I was actually logged into Twitter when it came down. It probably came up in AB's Twitter and-or Instagram feed, as well, and he just copied the picture into his own Instagram post. Here's the Tweet...

It's very easy to copy and paste a picture into your own Tweet, Insta, or even on an internet message board...

[86WARD]

I don’t see that picture as trolling at all. Especially now since the PPG posted it first.

[Dwinsgames]

I still don't understand what on earth this could possibly be about. All the possibilities are stupid as fuck.

I do not think any of us have ever mistaken AB to be the smartest man in the room once we heard him speak ......

[Dwinsgames]

So why is the post trolling ARJ?

cause he is a narcissistic bastard .... he can not stand not having all attention on HIM ...

[AtlantaDan]

Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network lays the blame for the cluster of the ongoing drama on AJRII, Tomlin and Ben in addition to AB

When speaking to Peter King during a podcast interview released on Thursday ... Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network took the blame game to a whole new level when she suggested that Steelers president Art Rooney II was actually the man who deserved much of the criticism for the team’s problems.

This is a very, very, very high-level member of the Steelers organization. This is about as high as you can get, said to me, and this is an exact quote, ‘I don’t mean to get all Godfather on you, but the fish rots from the head’. “ “So the implication there was, Art Rooney is one of the most admirable gentlemen in the NFL.... But at some point, he’s the man in charge."

Art Rooney at any point could have said to Mike Tomlin “I don’t like your players tweeting about potential second-round opponents before they’ve even met their first-round opponents. I don’t like your players screaming into a locker room prior to a game. I don’t like your players not showing up for a walk through without censure’. Any time, that could have come from the very upper echelon of the organization.”...

Kinkhabwala would go on to note a lack of leadership in the locker room... "I can tell you from multiple people, multiple people in that locker room told me how disruptive and disheartening it was to have Ben Roethlisberger go on the radio weekly and call out some teammate or another."....

Strangely, while Kinkhabwala was more than willing to call out most of the organization, Brown was one of the few that eventually had her sympathy. "The more you recognize the culpability around Antonio, and you know I’m a soft heart, I really am, it feels like Antonio’s the guy that's getting all the blame here, and I hope that they can figure it out.”

https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.co...rooney-ii-news

King wonders what the impact of the passing of Dan Rooney may be on the snowball of dysfunction rolling downhill - Aditi said it is regarded as a factor within the organization

The Aditi interview starts at the 20 minute mark of the linked podcast

So who was the source - Kevin Colbert or Omar Kahn?

[steelreserve]

So who was the source - Kevin Colbert or Omar Kahn?

One of the other owners? There are even people with bigger shares of the team than Art Rooney II.

[Mojouw]

*sigh*

It was Jerry Gulac of the PPG who broke this story, not Steelers Depot, and it was all over Twitter and probably Instagram, although I'm not sure about Instagram because I don't have an Instagram account.

The picture that AB posted in his Instagram post was attached to that article by the PPG. I was actually logged into Twitter when it came down. It probably came up in AB's Twitter and-or Instagram feed, as well, and he just copied the picture into his own Instagram post. Here's the Tweet...

It's very easy to copy and paste a picture into your own Tweet, Insta, or even on an internet message board...

So, your saying that a fundamental misunderstanding of social media is making a story worse/or exaggerated? Too bad that doesnt happen on a daily basis in sports and politics. I mean how could we ever learn...

[Michael]

I can only speak for myself. The problem is totally 100 percent Antonio Brown. He is an extremely immature man. A primadonna gifted athlete who does not live in the real world. Many professional athletes never have to grow up. Most do but Brown has not. If he has not returned Art Rooney's phone call and will not explain to the owner of a heretofore prestigious franchise he needs to move on. Who in their right mind would video tape a head coach in a locker room after a game. Where the hell are the real men in this emasculated narcissistic culture. There is some team that is desperate and stupid and they will take a chance on a 31 year wide receiver
who will soon be less dynamic. Get what you can. Make a statement Rooney as you intelligently indicated yesterday. let it be know "To play for the Pittsburgh Steelers you must be a good citizen".

[Mojouw]

Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network lays the blame for the cluster of the ongoing drama on AJRII, Tomlin and Ben in addition to AB

When speaking to Peter King during a podcast interview released on Thursday ... Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network took the blame game to a whole new level when she suggested that Steelers president Art Rooney II was actually the man who deserved much of the criticism for the team’s problems.

This is a very, very, very high-level member of the Steelers organization. This is about as high as you can get, said to me, and this is an exact quote, ‘I don’t mean to get all Godfather on you, but the fish rots from the head’. “ “So the implication there was, Art Rooney is one of the most admirable gentlemen in the NFL.... But at some point, he’s the man in charge."

Art Rooney at any point could have said to Mike Tomlin “I don’t like your players tweeting about potential second-round opponents before they’ve even met their first-round opponents. I don’t like your players screaming into a locker room prior to a game. I don’t like your players not showing up for a walk through without censure’. Any time, that could have come from the very upper echelon of the organization.”...

Kinkhabwala would go on to note a lack of leadership in the locker room... "I can tell you from multiple people, multiple people in that locker room told me how disruptive and disheartening it was to have Ben Roethlisberger go on the radio weekly and call out some teammate or another."....

Strangely, while Kinkhabwala was more than willing to call out most of the organization, Brown was one of the few that eventually had her sympathy. "The more you recognize the culpability around Antonio, and you know I’m a soft heart, I really am, it feels like Antonio’s the guy that's getting all the blame here, and I hope that they can figure it out.”

https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.co...rooney-ii-news

King wonders what the impact of the passing of Dan Rooney may be on the snowball of dysfunction rolling downhill - Aditi said it is regarded as a factor within the organization

The Aditi interview starts at the 20 minute mark of the linked podcast

So who was the source - Kevin Colbert or Omar Kahn?

I suspect it was one of the minority owners. At least one of those cats periodically likes to shoot his mouth off to feel important. Usually a bunch of nonsense that has little basis in how the team is actually being run. I suspect its Thomas Tull, the big shot movie billionaire who likes people to think he is an important guy who is getting things done. Tull seems to always find a way to get quoted in any story about the Rooneys and has been among the most aggressive in acquiring shares of the team.

Aditi’s stories recently have been far better than most in attempting to source and identify specific team issues, but they have been all over the map. One day its dysfunction. The next its okay.

[AtlantaDan]

So, your saying that a fundamental misunderstanding of social media is making a story worse/or exaggerated? Too bad that doesnt happen on a daily basis in sports and politics. I mean how could we ever learn...

My rudimentary (mis?)understanding of social media is that the photo did not post itself but that AB made the decision to post it, regardless of whether AB pulled down that photo from what he has stored on iCloud or clicked copy image location on the photo that ran with the P-G article then cut & pasted it.

The question is why he elected to go on social media with that post immediately after AJRII said he had not heard from AB, just as AB immediately went on social media with his good friend James Harrison after the Tomlin press conference and immediately went on social media to call Ryan Clark an Uncle Tom after Clark's comments on ESPN.

If you buy into the Harrison and Clark postings having a less than admirable purpose it is not a wild leap of conjecture to conclude the latest post does as well. Too bad AB is playing passive aggressive games through social media rather than going old school and returning calls.

[Dwinsgames]

I suspect it was one of the minority owners. At least one of those cats periodically likes to shoot his mouth off to feel important. Usually a bunch of nonsense that has little basis in how the team is actually being run. I suspect its Thomas Tull, the big shot movie billionaire who likes people to think he is an important guy who is getting things done. Tull seems to always find a way to get quoted in any story about the Rooneys and has been among the most aggressive in acquiring shares of the team.

Aditi’s stories recently have been far better than most in attempting to source and identify specific team issues, but they have been all over the map. One day its dysfunction. The next its okay.

we can not just assume its even accurate .........

I mean lets face it , it would not be the 1st time she has completely fabricated a story .... just saying

[Mojouw]

we can not just assume its even accurate .........

I mean lets face it , it would not be the 1st time she has completely fabricated a story .... just saying

Very true. I think she and other supposed knowers of NFL things often think their “source” is well plugged in and it isn’t the case. So they run with something - and they get burned. Look at the quoted part of the story up thread, it is still has the “source” moaning about the unexcused walkthrough (almost certainly the the Bell one from last season) a story which “officially” has been debunked. That is why I think it is from a minority owner, not involved in daily operations, that wants to feel important and included shooting their mouth off.

[AtlantaDan]

I suspect it was one of the minority owners. At least one of those cats periodically likes to shoot his mouth off to feel important. Usually a bunch of nonsense that has little basis in how the team is actually being run. I suspect its Thomas Tull, the big shot movie billionaire who likes people to think he is an important guy who is getting things done. Tull seems to always find a way to get quoted in any story about the Rooneys and has been among the most aggressive in acquiring shares of the team.

Aditi’s stories recently have been far better than most in attempting to source and identify specific team issues, but they have been all over the map. One day its dysfunction. The next its okay.

Good point on the minority owner as a source - although Tull supported Tomlin and AJRII after some other minority owners were chapped following the Jax playoff debacle

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...s/201801160110

Since Peter King was involved I was prepared to click out of the podcast quickly but Aditi did most of the talking and provided a good overview of the 2018 edition of Days Of Our Steelers. I had forgotten AB reported to non-mandatory OTAs then walked out after Ben bailed after the first session because that week was apparently the only time Ben could schedule a family vacation during the offseason, which was the kickoff for this season's antics.

She also made a good point that AB and Ben both like to freelance on routes, a style that might not carry over effectively for AB if he ends up somewhere else.

[Mojouw]

My rudimentary (mis?)understanding of social media is that the photo did not post itself but that AB made the decision to post it, regardless of whether AB pulled down that photo from what he has stored on iCloud or clicked copy image location on the photo that ran with the P-G article then cut & pasted it.

The question is why he elected to go on social media with that post immediately after AJRII said he had not heard from AB, just as AB immediately went on social media with his good friend James Harrison after the Tomlin press conference and immediately went on social media to call Ryan Clark an Uncle Tom after Clark's comments on ESPN.

If you buy into the Harrison and Clark postings having a less than admirable purpose it is not a wild leap of conjecture to conclude the latest post does as well. Too bad AB is playing passive aggressive games through social media rather than going old school and returning calls.

Sure. He posted it. But I think the point was he didn’t search through his archive of images and post it. He reposted an image a story used to paint him in (at least to AB) a bad light and he clapped back (as the kids say - or maybe not) using the same image.

I think he took 15 seconds out of his day and posted something. It wasn’t the detailed thought process that many want to read into social media.

[Dwinsgames]

A.B. has now unfollowed the steelers on Twitter ....

still has them in his bio though ...

seen an article on it and painstakingly verified it myself .. ( won't do that again ) took forever

[Hawkman]

I still don't understand what on earth this could possibly be about. All the possibilities are stupid as fuck.

That was intellectually put.

[Shoes]

AJRII is going to field trade calls and if he gets one he likes AB is gone, I think its as simple as that. There are 8 teams fighting for a SB spot this weekend and none of them have an AB talent. Sometimes Team is better than Talent.

[86WARD]

AB just had a live video where he gave a big shout out to Steelers Nation, said that the press conference with Harrison was just a joke that he’s trying to keep it light and positive, don’t believe everything you are hearing and that he will be coming out later to answer some questions.

[Shoes]

AB just had a live video where he gave a big shout out to Steelers Nation, said that the press conference with Harrison was just a joke that he’s trying to keep it light and positive, don’t believe everything you are hearing and that he will be coming out later to answer some questions.

If it was a joke why didn't they put it up? He's FOS.

[Lady Steel]

If it was a joke why didn't they put it up? He's FOS.

I agree. I didn't think the "joke" was funny. It was very disrespectful of both Harrison and AB to do that Insta Live one to two minutes into Tomlin's presser. They are both jackasses.

[pczach]

If it was a joke why didn't they put it up? He's FOS.

Harrison was a paragon of hard work and being a Steeler........

Now he's the pied piper of destroying locker rooms and embracing anything that hurts the organization.

To think that he was held up as the standard by many here.

He's leading by example as Bell and now Antonio Brown have majored in Advanced Placement Team Disruption with Prof Harrison.

[DesertSteel]

This is the second time that Fowler has used this exact quote. Can someone explain this in English?

The Steelers would absorb $21.12 million in 2019 dead money on the salary cap by trading Brown, but taking his $22.165 million cap charge off the books would offset that cost.

[86WARD]

If it was a joke why didn't they put it up? He's FOS.

There was no press conference...they were just fucking around...

[Shoes]

There was no press conference...they were just fucking around...

maybe, but he obviously fooled his agent, who knows him very well when he told him to drop it.