Ex-NFL star Antonio Brown posts bizarre tribute to Donald Trump and Elon Musk with ‘award’ announcement
Controversial former NFL star Antonio Brown has named Donald Trump and Elon Musk as his “free speech” winners of the year in a bizarre tribute on social media.
Brown, who joined Trump in his election campaign earlier this year, has become known for his unusual antics online since playing his last game for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022.
And heading into 2025, the former wide receiver has gone viral again with his unofficial “Cracker of the Year” awards on X.
After handing out prizes to Joe Rogan (Podcast episode of the year) and Shane Gillis (funniest cracker of the year), among others, Brown saved his last prize for Trump and Musk on New Year’s Eve.
‘Last day of the year and last prize of the year. This is special because this is what this platform stands for,” he wrote.
“This is what @elonmusk gave us back when he bought @X – Free Speech!”
Former NFL star Antonio Brown has posted a bizarre tribute to Elon Musk and Donald Trump
Brown aligned himself with Trump during his election campaign, before his landslide victory over Kamala Harris
Brown’s post also included a mock image of the three of them wearing Roman gladiator outfits as they announced Trump and Musk as the winners of the prize.
The ex-Buccaneers and Steelers player has been an extremely outspoken supporter of Trump in the months leading up to and following his resounding victory over Kamala Harris.
He even attended a Trump rally and led a voter registration drive at a tailgate party — both in Pittsburgh — before the 78-year-old was ultimately elected president for a second time.
Brown and former Steelers teammate Le’Veon Bell both appeared onstage next to Trump before greeting him on the tarmac when he landed back in Pittsburgh shortly after for their old team’s game against the New York Jets.
Three weeks after the election, he also continued to target Democrats on social media and Biden had his sights set on Thanksgiving.
Biden suffered a number of high-profile blunders that ultimately forced him to withdraw from the election race, including calling Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky “President Putin” and confusing Harris with Trump.
Brown took advantage of Biden’s Thanksgiving confusion, posting a photo of the 82-year-old holding a turkey with the caption: “Happy Easter.”
The seven-time Pro Bowler last appeared on the field in January 2022, when he took off his pads and jersey at MetLife Stadium in the middle of a game against the Jets and headed to the locker room.