Antonio Brown is one the most talented wide receivers in NFL history. As recently as the 2018 season, he was an All-Pro. For all of his accomplishments, he is singlehandedly sabotaging his career trajectory. At one point he was almost a certainty to one day be enshrined in Canton as a Hall of Famer, but his actions in the last few years threaten that reality. He is now traveling down a slippery slope towards destruction due to his own self-inflicted actions.
The Word of God says that no one is perfect, that includes everyone, but I get the feeling Antonio feels that this principle doesn’t apply to him. He berates his children’s mother in their presence and videotapes the episode as though it is something to be proud of. Instead it sends the message to impressionable minds that this type of behavior is appropriate. What it could lead to is those children growing up exhibiting or accepting the same behaviors. Antonio also doesn’t appear to receive criticism as a way to improve himself. He sees it as a personal attack. Don’t get me wrong I too am guilty of this at times, but wisdom always prevails and after self-examination I can see why I might have needed correction. This type of logic seems to have eluded Antonio Brown’s thought process thus far. Having a pompous attitude where you bloviate about what you have, thinking it makes you better than others, sets you up for a hard fall.
AB, aka Mr. Big Chest or whatever he calls himself these days, doesn’t discriminate when it comes to creating enemies either. He used a racial slur towards Raiders GM Mike Mayock for being fined after his helmet fiasco. He has quarreled on social media with TV personalities like Shannon Sharpe and Stephen A. Smith. His issues with former teammate, and Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, have been well documented, but just like a person who has been divorced multiple times, he is the common denominator in all of these incidents. Could all of the other parties involved have played a part in the demise of these relationships? Sure, but it’s more likely that whatever issues plagued you, or in this case Antonio Brown, in that specific relationship weren’t rectified in the last relationship and carried as “baggage” to each subsequent relationship. Until those “bags” are unpacked they will continue to follow AB wherever he goes.
Although Antonio Brown didn’t grow up in a stable home, he didn’t let that discourage him and used that as fuel to become the exceptional player we have come to know, but that also may be why he’s emotionally unstable at times. He can curse you out one minute and then beg for forgiveness the next one. Just like God forgives us, we too must extend grace, but when someone repeatedly makes the same mistakes, their apologies seem hollow. I just pray Antonio Brown gets it together before something tragic happens to him. The millions he's lost and the bridges he’s burned are one thing , but the way he’s going he could cost him his life. I know he’s made millions and lives in a lavish home, but all of his legal issues are adding up and I’m 100% sure his lawyers aren’t working for free. His irrational behavior has made him practically impossible for any NFL team to sign him and advertisers will probably lose money if he endorses their products. Even his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has taken a hiatus from working with him until he gets some mental help. Rosenhaus had Terrell Owens as a client so doing damage control is something he has had a history of dealing with. Terrell Owens comes off looking like a choir boy compared to Antonio Brown.
Antonio Brown is now at a crossroads after his recent arrest for felony assault of a delivery driver. Under the terms of his arrest, he must now be subjected to counseling. Hopefully this will greatly bless him and help get his life back together. The sad thing was that it didn’t have to get to this point. I don’t know if he has already, but I would suggest he watch the Aaron Hernandez documentary on Netflix. There are some parallels between both men. They both were strong willed individuals; dismissing the notion that iron sharpens iron. Men always need people in their lives who can tell them when they are doing something unwise. The most obvious commonality between them is obviously football. Hernandez’s brain showed significant signs of CTE, which likely came from playing football. Antonio Brown has had his share of brain injuries as well. Most notably from a hit delivered by Vontaze Burfict in a 2016 AFC playoff game, which left him unconscious for minutes after it occurred. It’s one of the reasons the NFL has gotten stricter about player safety. I just hope for Brown's sake that he’s able to overcome his issues. I know there are improvements in medicine every day. I pray that one day we’ll be able to diagnose CTE in living people in the hopes of preventing another Aaron Hernandez episode. Whatever the cause CTE, upbringing, or just vanity, I pray Antonio comes out of this a better man than before. Remember you can’t have a testimony without a test.
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