New Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians worked with Antonio Brown for two years, when he was the offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Brown, of course, has been the subject of trade rumors since being benched in the team's regular season finale. His antics and behavior have made headlines over the last couple of years, and it seems like the Steelers have finally had enough.
Arians appeared on The Adam Schefter Podcast (via ESPN.com), and explained some of the problems he had while working with Brown in Pittsburgh - going as far as to calling Brown "a diva."
"There's too much miscommunication, too much...diva," Arians said. "I've heard so many stories -- I like Antonio. He plays as hard as anybody on Sunday, and he practices hard. He's just gotta make better decisions off the field, be on time, do some of those little things."
Brown is arguably the NFL's best wide receiver, notching 100 catch and 1,000-yard seasons in each of the last six years. But the Steelers have had to discipline Brown for his actions before, and head coach Mike Tomlin had no choice but to bench his star wideout for the season finale.
According to Gerry Dulac and Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Brown got into an argument with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger during a practice. It ended when Brown threw a football in his teammate's direction and walked away.
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Brown failed to return phone calls and texts from his teammates and was a no-show for practices and team meetings. Team president Art Rooney II has already acknowledged that Brown is unlikely to play for the Steelers next season.
The 30-year-old Brown is signed through the 2021 season, and despite his age and hefty contract, No. 84 should generate plenty of interest on the trade market. He remains one of the game's elite offensive playmakers, but Pittsburgh is seemingly deciding that it's time to move on.
What This Means
Arians' words are a further indication of just how hard it has been for some coaches and players to work with Brown. Known for being a player's coach, even Arians seemed to struggle in getting Brown to stop the drama.
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