Antonio Brown, as of late, has been well known for his viral antics and crazy controversies. Child support issues, domestic battery cases, and even an attempted murder charge have marred the retirement of a player who was once at the top of the league as a wide receiver. But when his former teammate Cam Heyward thinks about Brown today, he still only remembers his insane work ethic.
Before this tumultuous derailment of a post-career that Brown has had recently, he was known as AB84. He was a bona fide stud on the field who made the All-Pro first team in 4 consecutive seasons. Furthermore, Brown led the league in receptions and receiving yards twice in separate seasons.
When former teammates of AB talk about him, they usually have nothing but good things to say. Despite dominating headlines with controversy now, Brown was once known as a hard worker who was well-respected. Heyward even took the time on his podcast to shower the former wideout with praise.
“AB’s practice habits were second to none… The cool thing about AB was the way he finished special-teams drills. The way he would catch a punt return and take it all the way for a touchdown. The way he would take a kickoff return every single time. And it was just like habit for him,” Heyward shared on his podcast Not Just Football.
Brown served as the Steelers’ punt returner for the entirety of his time with the team. He also returned kickoffs as a rookie and sophomore in the league. Most notably, Brown was known for his iconic return where he fly-kicked a punter in the face rather than going around him. It’s one of the funniest highlights in NFL history.
But as Heyward says, special teams wasn’t a joke to Brown. In fact, he took it very seriously. It’s something every new addition to the team at the time would eventually find out.
“I’ve had players who play on other teams, they got to see Julio [Jones], and they thought Julio was at the top of his game. And then when they came here, they were like, oh, there’s no question, AB’s that dude. Like AB, there was no 1A or 1B. AB was the top wide receiver when he played,” Heyward stated.
Julio and Brown actually had very comparable careers. Jones leads him in career yards and yards per reception, as well as games played. Brown, on the other hand, has more receptions, receiving touchdowns, and Super Bowls. They were the top dogs of their era.
Later on, Heyward mentioned that the only thing that could stop Brown was his feet.
“I feel like the only thing that stopped AB was his feet because he was just overworking his feet doing everything possible. And he was never running from the work. I’ve never seen someone that obsessive with getting better. And it showed on the field.”
Not only that, but Brown’s feet held him back from playing after he left the Steelers. Due to extreme frostbite he got on his feet while doing cryotherapy, AB missed most of training camp in 2019. It was something that ended up being a smoke signal of what was to come with the wideout.
In conclusion, Brown definitely had a great career full of amazing stats and accolades. And he has a ton of former teammates who always go to bat for his work ethic and hard work. But ultimately, because of his recent antics, his legacy may very well be defined by what he did off the field after his career. It’s unfortunate, yet it’s the way the cookie crumbles with some players.
