Antonio Brown must’ve been really close to his grandmother. In 2019, when the Raiders released him, AB famously called up his grandmother to give her the news. In a video he posted on his YouTube, the controversial Wide Reciever could be seen giddy with joy, telling his grandmother, “Grandma I’m free. They freed me, Grandma.”
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She clearly was an integral part of his life, for him to want to give her the good news first. Not only that, the former WR, on the occasion of Mother’s Day, revealed how his grandmother actually had the most influence on his worldview and helped shape his life and principles.
In his candid interview on Jason Whitlock’s podcast, Antonio Brown revealed that his grandmother Doris King was integral to solidifying his principles. He revealed,
“The position I am in today, is because me and my grandma talked about it all the time. My grandma lived to be a 100, her name was Doris King… My grandma always taught me about my spirit and knowing who I am, and staying true to myself, and always keeping that confidence about myself. “
Revealing how his grandmother’s resilience and encouragement towards him helped shape his career today, AB went into detail about her hard work. He revealed how she came from the Cat Islands to Liberty City and made a living for herself sewing and working for the cleaners.
AB cuts a controversial figure most of the time. Even his video after being cut from the Raiders was a bizarre sight for many. In all that, it’s easy to lose sight of the person behind the persona. But his emotional admission about his grandmother gives a peek into a side of Antonio Brown that most people are not privy to. Furthermore, the former WR gave an insight into his dad’s role in his life.
Son to The Greatest Arena Football Player Ever
In his interview, AB also talked about the influence of his dad on shaping his childhood and his personality. Eddie Brown is regarded by many as the greatest arena football player, and AB seems to have inherited his athletic abilities from his father. And AB is quite proud of that fact. Beaming with pride about his father’s identity, he said,
“My dad done great things in his life.. as a kid of a father who done some great things…like my dad got 340 touchdowns in the AFL, my dad’s the greatest arena football player ever…my dad is elite, I come from elite soil…My dad is Touchdown Eddie, what do you think that makes me?”
Antonio Brown called this w/ his dad, Arena League legend Eddie Brown, “a wonderful moment.” Said it was just like when he was a kid and their roles were reversed, him in the stands, his dad on the field, his own eyes filled w/ pride. pic.twitter.com/rJRNTusE4Q
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) September 25, 2018
While Brown credits his dad for being an inspiration, his contact with his father during childhood was fleeting and rare. His father left the family to go play in the AFL, and that seemed to be the turning point in AB’s life. According to reports, the WR didn’t get along with his mom’s new partner and had to experience intermittent homelessness as a teenager.
However, the two seem to be on great terms now, with Eddie having reconnected with his son when he was in college.
