After a report surfaced indicating that Steelers all-pro receiver Antonio Brown did not report to the facility Monday after a disappointing Week 2 defeat, head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed Brown’s absence but declined to reveal any other details.
“He was not,” Tomlin said Tuesday in a press conference when asked whether Brown was in attendance. “No, I’m looking forward to visiting with him today and discussing that and some other things. I’m not going to get into the details of why he wasn’t here or whether he was excused and all of those things. I’m just going to leave those things in house.
"I understand sometimes you’ve got some negativity. You know, we lost a football game. There were some negative exchanges on the sideline, frustrations associated with not playing well and not winning, I understand all that.”
Tomlin was asked again later in the press conference about whether he had any indication of why Brown did not report and said he “may or may not provide details relative to some of the things that you guys are asking."
“I just want to stay focused on what’s real and what’s important,” Tomlin continued. “Our preparation and ultimately our play this week. Not only ours, collectively, but his included.”
Brown appeared to be frustrated multiple times during Sunday’s 42-37 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs that dropped Pittsburgh to 0-1-1. Brown, at one point, was caught on camera having a heated exchange with Steelers offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner.
Monday morning, Brown posted a message to his verified Twitter account in response to a former Steelers public relations staffer who hypothesized that the receiver's prolific career has largely been the result of playing with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and that Brown would not have the number if he played on another team. Brown responded: “Trade me let’s find out.”
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