Antonio Brown Opens Up to Joe Rogan About Being Called “Crazy” After Walking Off the Field

Antonio Brown has never been the one to avoid the spotlight — starting with his jaw-dropping plays on the field and now, with his headline-grabbing antics off it. The latter, of course, began in 2022. Ripping off his jersey and storming off the field mid-game, Brown’s dramatic exit from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wasn’t just shocking — it cemented the narrative that something was off with him. Since then, he’s been labeled with adjectives like “crazy,” “delusional,” and “out of control.”

In his appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, AB finally broke his silence. He addressed the infamous walk-off, the stigma that has followed him ever since, and how it transpired into CTESPN — his brainchild, or as he prefers to call it, “Number 1 News Sports Entertainment.”

Right off the bat, Brown reflected on how people viewed his abrupt mid-game exit. Not just the media, but also the fans, were not kind to him. They built a negative persona around him.

And, to challenge that perception, AB built CTESPN — which initially started as a merchandise line selling CTE t-shirts and has now become the outlet for Brown’s “X” adventure, where he uses it to highlight flamboyant, crazy personalities of the day and other sports-related news.

“I feel like when I stopped playing football and I walked off the field, people were like, ‘This guy’s crazy, he’s ret*****, he’s illiterate,’” AB said. “So, I was like, ‘You know what? Maybe I could rebrand CTESPN by giving people perspective on different challenges they face.'”

While many assume CTESPN is just AB trolling as usual, the former All-Pro wide receiver insists there’s a deeper meaning behind it. For Brown, CTESPN is his way of spreading awareness about the reality of head trauma — something that’s taken the life of Brown’s former teammate.

“So, on a serious note, it’s about bringing awareness and reality to what athletes and regular people are facing—whether it’s head trauma or just being written off by society.”

The name that hit particularly close to home for AB was Vincent Jackson, the former Buccaneers receiver who tragically passed away in 2021. Jackson was later found to have suffered from Stage 2 CTE, a revelation that shook the football world.

But why does Brown need to be so bold and ridiculous in his approach to spreading awareness? While the Super Bowl winner admitted to using unconventional methods, he made it clear that therapy and recovery are the only way out of CTE, and a pinch of humor—like his—makes it easier.

For Brown, humor is both a coping mechanism and a way to make the conversation more digestible for people who would otherwise ignore it.

“I want to encourage therapy, encourage people to get through tough situations… and then make it funny, you know what I’m saying?”

Say what you want about AB20’s ways, but it cannot be ignored that every time his posts go trending, the first word that pops up on our screens is #CTESPN. Even if he doesn’t use the hashtag, Brown being synonymous with CTE is enough for people to connect the dots.

While it’s debatable whether Brown’s efforts have led to tangible recovery actions, one thing is certain—his wild social media antics have brought unprecedented attention to CTE’s adverse effects. For now, any time an athlete acts off, the first thought in many fans’ minds is if he has CTE. As the age-old adage goes, positive or negative, publicity is publicity.