Antonio Brown, Victim? or Victor?
Unscripted
By Keith Edmonds
Ink Spot Contributing Writer
The picture above is of Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown leaving MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on January 2nd 2022. Brown inexplicably removed his equipment and exited the stadium without warning during the 3rd quarter of Tampa’s game vs the New York Jets. This prompted his Coach Bruce Arians to say, “He’s done as a player in our organization.” By now many of you have seen this photo (or some variation of it) and have formed your own opinions as to what happened, what should happen, and what will happen to this future Hall of Famer moving forward. Of the many questions that we’re asking, one is: “Is this the last that we’ll see of Antonio Brown in the National Football League?” In today's UNSCRIPTED I want to share my thoughts on this situation and why it’s not as surprising as you would think to see athletes behaving in this manner in professional sports.
Antonio Brown is a TALENTED football player who has broken records, won Super Bowl rings and has had a career that distinguishes him as one of the All-Time greatest receivers to have ever played the game. (If you try to dispute this then you’ll be wasting valuable oxygen that you could use for other things). Brown has also broken security cameras, been traded multiple times, intimidates those that work for/with him and is currently under probation for using a fake COVID vaccination card. As I looked into the why’s of Antonio Brown’s strange behaviors I also know that many teams will line up for his services for the remainder of this season and as we move into the 2022 season as well. My question is “Why do we overlook behaviors that are contrary to societal norms simply because a person(s) have a “gift” of being able to perform at levels that most of us could only dream of?”
The answer to this question is quite simple; Because they’re exceptional at what they do! The vast majority of us have a skill or skills that over the course of time we’ve developed and become pretty accomplished at. (I’ll make this next statement apply to myself) in saying; I don’t think that y’all would pay top dollar to see what my exceptional skills are! (lol) But with athletes like Antonio Brown, we’re willing to turn a blind eye towards these behaviors because they entertain us each time they step on the field. Why should I rob myself or chastise a talented athlete simply because they have a few run-ins with the law or refuse to conform to what we feel is “acceptable behavior?” As long as they show up each week and share their exceptional talents with us, we will continue to give them a “pass” in most areas of their personal life. We hear of this type of behavior ALL OF THE TIME and it doesn’t faze us! There is no accountability for a player’s irresponsible behavior because what separates them from us is that they’re million dollar babies and maybe we just need to accept the notion that “it’s just how they act.” During a recent visit to an NBA game, I saw a player sitting on the bench in attire that made me say to my cousin; “If I made the money that this player makes I would be dressed to impress every time I stepped into the arena” Her response to me was “What I have found being around people that have money like that is that they march to a different beat than the rest of us. They hardly ever do/act like we THINK they should, simply because the rules are different for them.” Is this true? Do we accept just any behavior from our favorite athletes (outside of murder/homicide) simply because they tickle our fancy each time they perform? In a word YES! This is not ther first athlete that has done something like this nor will it be the last. The Antonio Browns, Ben Simmons and Aaron Rodgers of the world will always have a place to perform in our society as long as we keep giving them a forum to work in. Yes, they are talented but who’s going to step up and tell them NO not this time! Is what Antonio Brown did something that could be looked at as egregious or (in my opinion) is there some underlying issue that we’ll discover later?
Some have said CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) could be the cause other’s have said depression, and still others have said “that’s just boys being boys.” Whatever the reason (and I’m sure you have your thoughts as well) expect Antonio Brown to be back in an NFL staduim soon! My question is: If you were an owner would you take a shot on him knowing that your franchise could become a winner or be embarassed on national television as the Tampa Bay franchise was without warning? That’s what many NFL teams are trying to decide today. Who controls the narrative at this point? The NFL or Antonio Brown? I guess only time will tell…