Antonio Brown Regrets Rocky Relationship with Ben Roethlisberger: ‘I Love Ben’

Back in 2018, former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown was known as one of the best receivers, if not the best, in the entire NFL. But a flare-up forced him out of Pittsburgh, where he was traded to the Raiders. Much of that was reportedly due to his fractured relationship with Ben Roethlisberger.

One of the most prolific duos in NFL history, Brown and Roethlisberger’s relationship deteriorated, and Brown could not return to the team at that point. Appearing on VladTV, Brown broke down the relationship and his regrets about losing himself in the moment to his emotions.

“I love Ben, I was probably so hurt at that time I just blocked his number. I made a life, changed my life as a player, coming into my own with Ben. First time I ever hit the starting lineup Big Ben told Bruce Arians ‘Yo I need AB at the X’, so I don’t think I ever had a problem with Ben, man,” Brown said. “Me and Ben made some of the greatest football history moments of my life, you know, my kids grew up seeing it. It sparked some of the greatness in my life. I feel like the media tried to create a war between us, but man I feel like me and Ben’s IQ is so much the same, sometimes I ran and created routes and he’d throw me the ball. We had that relationship, the media makes it what it is, but I got nothing but love and joy for Ben.”

Brown, 34, became one of the most dominant receivers in NFL history in his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2010-18, but since then has caused a slew of on- and off-the-field issues, including several lawsuits, arrests, sexual assault allegations, and a lengthy suspension. His last on-field game came in 2021, where he ran shirtless off the field against the New York Jets.

This spring, Brown purchased an interest in the Albany Empire, the successor to the indoor team that his father, “Touchdown” Eddie Brown played for. Eddie Brown acts as the team’s general manager, and Antonio, to turn around the fortunes of a team struggling at the gate and in the standings, said he planned to play in a game but never did before the league bounced the team from the league altogether.

As Mike Tomlin noted last year, a return to the Steelers is not happening. But he has expressed a desire to retire as a Steeler at some point. And it seems that Brown wants to begin to turn over a new leaf. He graduated from Central Michigan in December and has long teased a return to the NFL.

But whether any of that happens, of course, is ever unpredictable with the twists and turns that Brown takes in the news headlines.