It doesn’t appear the Pittsburgh Steelers will take up former wide receiver Antonio Brown’s offer to play for them in free agency anytime soon.
Pittsburgh suffered a tough road loss in snowy Cleveland, Ohio on Thursday night against the rival Browns.
After the game, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin answered questions from the media about the result, but a reporter decided to ask about a tweet Brown posted earlier in the day.
Brown, the controversial former Steelers wideout, posted, “Still offering to come back and play for the Steelers for free to finish the season.”
He even tweeted, “Someone in the media at the Steelers vs Browns game…please ask Mike Tomlin if AB comes back for free after the game,” and said whoever did would be named his “Cracker of the Day” on Friday.
Tomlin decided to dignify Brown’s offer — and the reporter’s demand — by simply walking away from the microphone.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin walked off stage Thursday night after being asked a question about former Pittsburgh wide receiver Antonio Brown
Brown, who hasn’t played since 2021, offered to play for Pittsburgh in free agency this season
Curiously, even after his offer was so quickly and thoroughly rejected, Brown posted a video of the interaction to his own Twitter account.
Brown hasn’t played in the NFL in two seasons since throwing a tantrum at MetLife Stadium in a game against the New York Jets, taking off his uniform and leaving the arena.
Since then, he’s retired, unretired, retired again, and retired again — with the most recent twist coming with his tweet about wanting to play for Pittsburgh again.
During that time, he also bought an arena football team in Albany, New York and put it into the ground after Brown failed to pay dues and fines he owed to the National Arena League.
Brown also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May, reporting $2.93 million to creditors, including $1.2 million in debt stemming from a January 2020 lawsuit alleging an assault.
As for the Steelers, this is only their third loss of the season after winning five in a row.
Pittsburgh next plays the Cincinnati Bengals on the road on December 1.