Nick Schwartz For The Win Days after tweeting a farewell to Steelers fans, superstar wide receiver Antonio Brown addressed the late-season altercation he had with Ben Roethlisberger that led to him missing a Week 17 game. Brown, who has requested a trade, according to ESPN, was involved in a mid-week dispute with his quarterback during a walk-through. While various reports have emerged, it's not clear exactly what happened during the practice, though Brown was "privately upset," according to ESPN, that Roethlisberger publically criticized Brown's route-running on a late interception in a Week 12 loss to the Broncos. Roethlisberger later downplayed the late-season incident in radio interview, but Brown skipped practices and meetings the rest of the week, and reportedly was unable to be reached by Steelers staffers and teammates, and even team owner Art Rooney II. The Steelers listed Brown on the injury report leading up to a crucial Week 17 game, and he did not suit up for the game. Brown left the game at halftime, and he has since been fueling trade speculation on social media. FOOTBALL FIX: NFL news delivered to your inbox Roethlisberger and Brown have been at odds in the past, and the Steelers' franchise QB has called out his top receiver multiple times in the media over the last two seasons. According to Brown, Big Ben has an "owner mentality," and his Steelers teammates don't have the leverage to respond.<doc-sep>Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert defended quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's leadership style in comments relayed by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN on Wednesday (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk): Fowler then provided the full response: Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antonio Brown, who has requested a trade, recently called out Roethlisberger on Twitter for having an "owner mentality": Roethlisberger has not been shy about criticizing players (and even coaches) publicly, notably doing so after the team's Week 12 loss to the Denver Broncos, per Herbie Teope of NFL.com. As Teope noted on Nov. 28, "During his weekly Tuesday radio show on 93.7 The Fan, Roethlisberger took issue with [Brown's] route running on a late-game interception, rookie James Washington dropping a pass and offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner not calling JuJu Smith-Schuster's number enough on the final drive." Roethlisberger defended his right to criticize fellow Steelers: "I think I have earned the right to be able to do that with as long as I have been here," Roethlisberger said, per Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "and I'll just be just as critical of myself [in the media], as well." Whether or not one agrees with Roethlisberger's tactics, Colbert's stance in defending the quarterback isn't particularly surprising. Brown is on his way out of town, and Roethlisberger is a franchise quarterback who told Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in May 2018 that he plans on playing three to five more years. Video Play Button Videos you might like One campaign from that stretch is in the books, leaving two to four more seasons. It wouldn't make much sense for Colbert to go out of his way to criticize the player who the team has hitched its proverbial wagon to into the 2020s. At this point, the Steelers are clearly Roethlisberger's team more than ever before.<doc-sep>Getty Images Steelers receiver Antonio Brown has removed from his list of Twitter “likes” one of the two tweets referring to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s history of off-field issues. Brown has replaced that with a tweet that addresses the basis for the apparent hostility between the two men. “No conflict just a matter of respect!” Brown said in response to a fan who asked Brown to explain the basis for his conflict with the quarterback. “Mutual respect! He has a owner mentality like he can call out anybody including coaches. Players know but they can’t say anything about it otherwise they meal ticket gone. It’s a dirty game within a game.” The tweet from Brown starts off in a seemingly positive way, but it quickly turns. Brown perceives a lack of respect in Roethlisberger’s willingness to publicly call out teammates, given that they can’t do the same. And Brown clearly views that hypocrisy as “dirty.” This development underscores the folly of any football player seeing fit to talk openly about the actual or perceived shortcomings of a teammate. While much of what has transpired in Pittsburgh is the fault of Brown himself, Roethlisberger’s approach to coworkers has given Brown something that he views as a legitimate basis for wanting a new workplace. The tweet from Brown is the first of what apparently will be 10 answers from the player aimed at disseminating “real truth and real facts.” He’s answering them slowly for now, probably because it’s taking too long to sift through the many sarcastic and mean-spirited responses he surely has received.<doc-sep>
Ben Roethlisberger might lose a generational talent at receiver this offseason after the receiver, Antonio Brown, requested a trade partly because of his deteriorating relationship with Roethlisberger, but Roethlisberger still appears to be walking away from the saga as the clear winner. Look no further than the comments Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert made on Wednesday. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Colbert didn't just talk up Big Ben's leadership abilities. He also supported Big Ben's habit of going on the radio and publicly criticizing his teammates, saying "Ben's the elder statesman. If the players were smart, they'd listen to him. He's been there." This past season, after the Steelers dropped a close game to the Broncos that ended with Roethlisberger throwing an interception at the goal line, Roethlisberger went on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh and said Brown should've flattened his route on the play and that he wished he would've thrown the ball to JuJu Smith-Schuster instead. At the time, Brown shrugged off Roethlisberger's criticisms, saying "I've got big shoulders. I can take it." But during a Twitter Q&A session on Saturday, Brown said that Roethlisberger has an "owner mentality like he can call out anybody including coaches." It's worth noting that Roethlisberger has called out players other than Brown in a public manner. This isn't just a one-time thing. But based on Colbert's comments, the team is more than OK with Roethlisberger continuing to do so even though most quarterbacks -- even the ones as accomplished as Roethlisberger -- tend to keep their criticism of teammates inside the building. The Steelers are now trying to trade Brown, but have made it clear they won't give him away unless they feel like they're getting compensated fairly. Meanwhile, Roethlisberger will turn 37 next month, is entering the final year of his contract, and has flirted with retirement in recent years, but a contract extension could be on the way, as CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora has reported. Roethlisberger might be losing his best receiver -- not to mention Le'Veon Bell, who has finally secured his football freedom -- but he hasn't lost his position of power with the Steelers. If anything, his authority has only been reinforced.