Former Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antonio Brown had a lengthy media interview over Super Bowl week and briefly touched on the infamous hit he received by former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict.
The hit — which knocked Brown out on the field during a playoff game — doesn’t need much of an explanation, nor do Brown’s actions recently. But the hit was bound to come up in an interview format like this.
Asked by ESPN’s Josina Anderson how he felt about speculation that the hit Burfict delivered has adversely impacted his behavior, Brown said the following:
“Nah, he didn’t hit me that hard. You know, I got up and walked off the field. We won the game, right? I was alright. You play the game long enough, everyone gets hit hard…It’s not like I started being different after the hit.”
Asked if he needs help, from the league or otherwise, Brown said:
“We all need mental help. I’m like an animal in a cage. Like, everyone just talks about me. I can’t go out of my house. … Everything I do is in the face of people…someone making an assumption about me.”
The crux of Brown’s comments in the interview seem to focus on how football centered him toward a goal. Now that he’s been away from it, he’s found it easier to get caught up in stuff that can get him in trouble.
As for Burfict, he joined former Bengals coordinator Paul Guenther in Oakland, took a shot at the Bengals after signing and promptly got himself suspended for an entire season for another dirty hit.
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