NFL teams
Jeremy Fowler, senior NFL national reporter 5y

Antonio Brown fired up over Steelers' winless start

NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers

PITTSBURGH -- Antonio Brown is still fired up.

The All-Pro wide receiver addressed the media for nearly 10 minutes and was on the offensive for most of them while defending his passion for the game.

"You guys don't know me at all," Brown said from his Steelers locker Thursday. "You guys just write what you think gonna get hits. Everyone in this locker room knows what I stand for, knows what I'm about. I'm committed to this program and this organization. I'm fully here. I go to work every day, about my business, and I don't take it for granted. My business is winning here. I come here to win. We ain't winning, you damn right I'm pissed off."

The Steelers are 0-1-1 as they prepare to visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.

Brown said his "trade me let's find out" tweet -- sent to a former Steelers employee who questioned Brown's on-field worth without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger -- was a bad decision that became a distraction and was not reflective of his true feelings.

But Brown's personal issue that resulted in him missing work Monday was conveyed to coach Mike Tomlin, he said.

"Obviously [Tomlin] knew where I was at," Brown said.

Tomlin met with Brown on Tuesday and levied undisclosed discipline after Wednesday's practice.

Brown said a sideline flare-up with offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner was a byproduct of frustration with the deficit during Sunday's 42-37 loss to Kansas City. Brown said he has a good, long-standing relationship with Fichtner and wasn't concerned about stats.

"I'm not on the sideline begging for the ball or making statements as you guys make," Brown said Thursday. "I'm pissed off. We're losing. We suck."

Asked why he left the postgame locker room before the media could interview him, Brown said, "If you guys want to talk to me, let's talk. I'm right here. I'm not hiding from none of you. I don't hide from no one. I'm from Liberty City [in Miami]."

Brown called his tweet a "stupid remark" that doesn't change his gratitude for wearing a Steelers uniform. He plans to stay away from distractions on social media, but said it's unfortunate a former public relations staff member would take a shot at him.

"As a competitor, man, I take this s--- serious," he said. "This s--- not a game to me. Cashing checks don't even matter. I look at my assignments and my performance, that means a lot to me. When I go home, I weigh in on it. My family weighs in on it. To me, guys to think they can just disrespect me is out of order."

Brown considers himself a leader on the team who leads by example and "signed up to win."

"You guys can make a statement that I'm a diva, but you ask these guys, I put my heart out on the line every day," Brown said.

"Obviously I'm in the spotlight so you guys are always going to put me under the microscope. But I'm a [passionate] individual. I can't hide the way I feel. If it wasn't important to me, I would say it doesn't matter."

Brown expects to be in the lineup for the first snap against Tampa Bay.

As for making it clear to the team that he would be gone Monday, Brown said, "My job is to let everyone know what's going on when I'm not here." He wouldn't confirm whether Tomlin has fined him.

"I've got to apologize for the way I react, I've got to apologize for everything," Brown said. "I'm a man. I don't make excuses. If I did something, I take sole responsibility for my actions."

Brown has a team-high 33 targets and 18 catches through two games despite nursing a quadriceps injury during training camp. The last question for Brown was whether he's dealing with any lingering injuries.

"What do you want me to say? You don't care about my problems. You're probably glad I got 'em," he said. "So what do you want me to tell you? No one cares about my problems. They just care about winning."

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