Just two days after his Facebook Live video created a stir in the NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown issued an apology for posting the video.
— Antonio Brown (@AntonioBrown) January 18, 2017
First, I’d like to take this opportunity to say that I’m sorry for my actions and behavior after Sunday’s game. I let my emotions and genuine excitement get the best of me, and I wanted to share that moment with our fans. It was wrong of me to do, against team and NFL policy, and I have apologized to Coach Tomlin and my teammates for my actions. I’m sorry to them for letting it become a distraction and something that they’ve had to answer questions about while we’re preparing for a big game on Sunday.
The video in question was a short clip from inside the Steelers locker room, shortly after the team beat the Kansas City Chiefs. The reason it drew such attention is in the background — you can hear a speech from Mike Tomlin where he, among other things, had this to say about the Patriots:
“We spotted those assholes a day and a half. They played yesterday, our game got moved to tonight. We gonna touch down at 4 o’clock in the fucking morning. So be it — we’ll be ready for their ass.”
Steelers HC Mike Tomlin on Patriots: "We spotted those assholes a day and a half...so be it. We'll be ready for their ass." pic.twitter.com/MB4kLwVgIz
— Rich Hill (@PP_Rich_Hill) January 16, 2017
On Wednesday, Brown met with the media for the first time since the incident. He said he got caught up in the emotion of playing this year and wanted to let fans in on the celebration. Last year, Brown sat out the Steelers’ Divisional round matchup due to a concussion.
In addition to accidentally leaking part of Tomlin’s speech, the video post was a violation of NFL rules, which don’t allow for any social media posts until 90 minutes after the game finishes.
Brown said he “didn't have a clue about” the league rule, but he vowed he’d learn from what happened.
However, Brown wouldn’t promise that he’d stop posting videos entirely.
“I guess you gotta wait and see,” he said.