Steelers’ JuJu Smith-Schuster expresses concern for Antonio Brown
Former teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster expressed his “concern” for Brown in a radio interview with Pro Football Talk from the Super Bowl.
“It’s different, for sure,” Smith-Schuster said. “I’m concerned, like you guys. It’s a tough situation for a guy if you take away his job and his passion. Being a guy looking from the outside to the inside, he’s definitely a different dude than who he was on the field.”
Just a day earlier, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell expressed concern about Brown’s well-being.
“The first thing always is to think about the well-being of Antonio, to understand what Antonio is going through,” Goodell said during his state-of-the-league news conference Wednesday. “We don’t talk about the wellness of our players publicly, but I can tell you that you can be sure that the NFL and NFLPA have tremendous amounts of resources available to all players. They are going to be made available to Antonio.”
Brown was arrested last week by Hollywood, Florida, police and charged with felony burglary with battery, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and criminal mischief. Officials responded on Jan. 21 to a disturbance call in which a moving-truck driver said Brown and his trainer, Glenn Holt, assaulted him outside Brown’s home.
Circuit Judge Michael Usan freed Brown from house arrest Tuesday, allowing him to travel freely within the United States so he can fulfill contractual obligations, which include Super Bowl week-related appearances. Instead of wearing an ankle GPS monitor, Brown, 31, will have to check in with court personnel daily.
His $110,000 bail remains in place and he still must surrender his passport, possess no weapons or ammunition, and submit to a mental health evaluation and random drug testing.
Two weeks ago, Brown’s former agent Drew Rosenhaus ended his relationship with Brown on a “conditional” basis, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
In a letter to the NFLPA, Rosenhaus said he would like to continue working with Brown, but not until he gets help.