“Ryan Clark, You Know What I Mean?”: Asante Samuel Takes a Shot at Former Steelers Icons for Letting Antonio Brown ‘Act Crazy’

Even though his T-Step debate with Deion Sanders has seemingly died down, former New England Patriot and two-time Super Bowl champion, Asante Samuel, is continuing his onslaught of call-outs on social media. Most recently, the retired DB took aim at the former Pittsburgh Steeler, Antonio Brown.

With the majority of his criticisms being centered around the various scandals that Brown was responsible for throughout his 12-year NFL career, Samuel claimed that Brown’s diva-like persona is the direct result of him being “babied” by Mike Tomlin and the Steelers’ organization.

On the latest episode of his Say What Needs to be Said podcast, Samuel doubled down on his comments. And he didn’t mince words when it came to Brown’s former teammates.

“That’s a shot at all of the Steelers’ players. Ryan Clark, you know what I mean? Troy Polamalu, Ben Roethlisberger… All these men on one team and y’all let this man act crazy on the team. That is unacceptable. If anything, a bunch of men will do it together. You’ve got to get rid of the sour apple.”

While Samuel was willing to give Brown his due credit by recognizing him as a “hell of a player,” the former Patriot asserted that the reason his post bothered Brown is simply because “He knows that this is the truth.” Nevertheless, the former wide receiver made sure that his opinions were heard in a recent Twitter post.

If Mike Tomlin never babied you @AB84 NFL would’ve been an after thought. You couldn’t survive anywhere else. The Steelers organization and players allowed you to act crazy. Lucky you never played on my team. You would’ve been dealt with immediately and not by the coach. Facts!

— Asante Samuel (@pick_six22) May 2, 2025

Shortly after Samuel’s initial tweet, Brown promptly reminded him that he has enjoyed nowhere near the amount of post-retirement success that he has.

Asante Samuel

Tryin clown ppl online like he me

Couldn’t even carry my jock strap

What has Asante done after nfl career?

Try be clown online …

Try tear down who ppl vote for …

How that working out for him?? 😂

Stick to what u good at… which is???

— AB (@AB84) May 2, 2025

A simple comparison of Twitter followers would quickly reveal that Brown is more than accurate in his assessment. The former Steeler currently boasts a follower count north of 2.5 million, while Samuel has yet to surpass the 100,000 mark.

However, it’s worth noting that the recent social media beefs have gone a long way in improving Samuel’s online presence. Just a few months prior to his initial fight with Sanders, the four-time pro bowler posted three videos to his personal YouTube channel.

In total, the three videos netted him just over 2,000 total views. His next upload, the infamous Asante Samuel vs Shannon Sharpe & Deion Sanders video, currently has a total viewer count of 29,000.

While his takes may be controversial and brash in nature, the newfound attention will likely encourage the one-time All-Pro to continue making similar content. Then again, he’s remained steadfast in his stance towards Brown, suggesting that his criticisms are more sincere than some may believe.

“AB, you got lucky boy. You need to pray to god every night and tell him “thank you” for blessing you, for drafting you to Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers… If you would have came to the Patriots off the rip, you wouldn’t have survived, boy.”

Given that Samuel has already been a topic of discussion before on Clark’s Pivot Podcast, fans and followers of the drama shouldn’t have to wait very long before the former Pittsburgh DB gives a response. With the nature of the discussion becoming increasingly confrontational, Clark’s next onscreen appearance may just come with a little bit of extra flair.