Antonio Brown claims former Steelers teammate James Harrison gave him CTE

NFL free agent Antonio Brown blames his ‘super aggressive’ behavior on a hit he allegedly took from James Harrison, saying his former Pittsburgh Steelers teammate left him with the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy ( CTE).

Speaking on Instagram Live on Friday, Brown accused Harrison of wearing an illegal helmet that somehow resulted in the volatile receiver suffering a traumatic head injury. Brown did not specify whether the hit occurred in practice, when such collisions are rare and frowned upon, or in a game during Harrison’s season with the Cincinnati Bengals.

“I wanted to tell you that I think James Harrison gave me CTE,” Brown said. ‘James Harrison had an illegal helmet for over 20 years in the NFL and he hit me once. And ever since he hit me, I’ve been super aggressive. So I blame James Harrison for my CTE.

Of course, CTE can only be diagnosed posthumously, so Brown does not share a medical diagnosis.

NFL free agent Antonio Brown blames his ‘super aggressive’ behavior on a hit he allegedly took from James Harrison, saying his former Pittsburgh Steelers teammate left him with the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy ( CTE).

Brown took a vicious hit from another Bengals linebacker, Vontaze Burfict, during a 2016 playoff game, but specifically accused Harrison of landing the hit that reportedly landed him with CTE.

Harrison’s former agency did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.

The degenerative brain disease has been linked to soccer.

In 2017, a Boston University study diagnosed CTE in 110 of 111 deceased former NFL players as part of the largest case series ever conducted on the disease. Several players who have been posthumously diagnosed with the disease have committed suicide, including former Patriots tight end and convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez, as well as All-Pro linebacker Junior Seau, who shot himself in the chest to preserve his brain for CTE researchers.

Another former NFL player, Phillip Adams, was found to have the same condition when he murdered five people and then killed himself in South Carolina last year.

Brown took a vicious punch from another Bengals linebacker, Vontaze Burfict, during a 2016 playoff game (pictured), but specifically accused Harrison of delivering the hit that reportedly landed him with CTE

Of course, Brown’s behavior has become increasingly erratic in recent years.

He faced domestic violence charges in December, which were later dropped, and was sued in 2018 for throwing furniture off a balcony at his Florida apartment complex when a 22-month-old boy was nearly struck by some of the debris. He eventually settled that lawsuit.

Additionally, he settled a sexual assault lawsuit with a former personal trainer in 2021, and in 2020, a moving company was awarded $1.2 million in damages after he accused Brown of attacking him during a disagreement.

Brown has been out of the NFL since January 2022, when he got into a sideline dispute with the Buccaneers coaches before removing his jersey and pads and leaving MetLife Stadium in the middle of a game against the New York Jets.