Some stars shine bright and burn fast, and Antonio Brown is the quintessential example of this trait. When he was a target for QBs like Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger, AB established himself as a lethal threat to defenses. However, due to murky circumstances with the Bucs, he made a controversial decision to walk off the field mid-game, effectively altering his NFL career as we know it. Yet, it turns out the former wideout has absolutely no regrets.
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During his recent appearance on the Pivot Podcast, Brown dwelled on the reason behind his controversial walk-off and the conclusion of his career. He made it clear that his decision to leave was one he took from an individualistic lens. While team spirit is important in the NFL, Brown began to feel the need to prioritize himself.
“I walked off. I did the right things for myself,” AB said. “Anytime you play along a team and you know what it’s like, you guys been to the end of your career when it’s like the team got you there but they not really there (anymore). Every good thing is going to come to an end and I don’t have no regrets.”
Brown made a decision that many athletes don’t have the luxury to make. He chose to leave the game at a point with his physical health intact. AB left the game knowing very well that he might even have athletic opportunities after the NFL.
That said, Brown has taken advantage of this newfound freedom in the post-retirement era, deciding to pursue his dream of being a voice for other athletes. And that’s where his podcast, CTESPN, came in.
Antonio Brown Talks ‘CTESPN’
While speaking about his decision to leave the league, AB also spoke about his infamous podcast, CTESPN. His decision to start such an honest show came after the experiences he had during his time in the league. While on the Pivot Podcast, Brown explained that there is a lot more happening behind the scenes in an NFL team, which he aims to shed light on.
The players themselves go through a lot of traumatic experiences that don’t come into the spotlight. Athletes also don’t have a media platform where they can thoroughly discuss football intricacies, including issues like playing time and roster placement. To combat this, Brown decided to launch the CTESPN Network.
“(There is no) platform that is showing people: How do I overcome this adversity? How do I deal with if they not trying to give me the ball and I’m trying to be great? How do you deal with if they not dropping you in zone coverage? How do you handle that? No one is addressing the seriousness of being a football player,” Brown asserted.
While the public perception of the AB might be skewed, his initiative has a lot of potential. To give players a voice, the podcast holds a lot of merits. It only remains to be seen how well the CTESPN podcast will do in the coming future.
