Antonio Brown might be the hardest-working wide receiver in the NFL. That's how you go from a sixth-round pick to the league's best pass catcher. But he also showed an inexplicable lack in judgment when he decided to Facebook Live from the Steelers locker room moments after their playoff win over the Chiefs on Sunday night.
Exacerbating matters: As Brown was mugging for his iPhone camera for more than 15 minutes, coach Mike Tomlin was addressing the team. Brown seemed oblivious to this fact.
"When you get to this point in the journey, man, not a lot needs to be said," Tomlin said to his team -- and unbeknownst to him, the rest of Planet Earth. "Let's say very little moving forward. Let's start our preparations. We just spotted these a--h---- a day and a half. They played yesterday. Our game got moved to tonight. We're going to touch down at 4 o'clock in the f---ing morning. So be it. We'll be ready for their a--. But you ain't got to tell them we're coming. Keep a low profile, and let's get ready to ball like this up again here in a few days and be right back at it. That's our story."
You know what this means: The Patriots, renowned for their ability to turn any perceived slight into a "NO ONE BELIEVES IN US!" meme, had their bulletin-board material.
Brown apologized hours later, but by then, everybody and their brother had weighed in -- including Patriots players willing to go on the record.
"That's how that team is run," Pats wideout Julian Edelman told WEEI on Monday. "I personally don't think that would be something that would happen in our locker room, but hey, whatever. Some people like red and some people like blue. Some people like tulips and some people like roses. Whatever."
And Tom Brady added: "That's against our team policy. I don't think that would go over well with our coach."
Other anonymous Patriots players also sounded off to Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman.
"F--- Mike Tomlin," one Patriots player reportedly said in a text response.
Another Patriots player texted Freeman this: "Why are we a--h---- when he's doing the name-calling? ... Put the phone down, dude. That violates the trust of your teammates and coaches."
Steelers left guard Ramon Foster can answer that question: "As far as I'm concerned, everybody in this league is an a--h---, in my opinion," he told reporters. "You have to be to play this sport. Coaches don't become head coaches by being nice guys."
In Tomlin's defense, he wasn't exactly stoked by Brown's impromptu broadcast session, telling the media on Tuesday that Brown's actions were "foolish ... selfish and inconsiderate." And he wasn't smiling when he said it.
Meanwhile, Bill Belichick turned on the Belichick "Aw, shucks" Gomer Pyle-charm when the he was asked about the video, and we're pretty sure Tomin's private comments will come up in a Patriots team meeting at least once between now and Sunday.
