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Steelers move on after scuffle
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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, left, and defensive back Ike Taylor (24) grab each other during a confrontation after a play during training camp in Latrobe, Pa. Brown and Taylor have gotten into two scuffles during recent practices.
Associated Press
LATROBE, Pa.
Antonio Brown gets paid to catch passes, not throw punches.
“I’m not a UFC fighter trying to fight guys,” Brown said.
Sometimes, though, the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver forgets. Particularly when he finds teammate and cornerback Ike Taylor lined up across from him during practice.
The two have made tangling a habit during training camp and things got out of hand Sunday when a post-play scuffle ended with Taylor icing his right eye and Brown getting a talking to from general manager Kevin Colbert.
Though Brown chalks it up to a couple of competitive guys losing their tempers after more than two weeks of hand-to-hand combat during camp, he also understands it’s best to make sure things get worked out before it becomes a problem. Taylor and Brown patched things up over a lengthy breakfast on Monday — the team’s off day — and insist there’s no lingering bad blood.
Having Brown pick up the check helped too.
“Brothers get into it, we family,” Taylor said. “That’s how it is sometimes. Up in Latrobe, getting tired of seeing each other ... so when you have the same blood type, things are bound to happen. But me and A.B. are cool.”
Players mixing it up in camp is hardly new. Usually though, it’s typically reserved for rookies or camp invitees who get on edge trying to make the final roster. Not so much with Brown and Taylor. Brown, after all, made the Pro Bowl as a kick returner last season, and Taylor is Pittsburgh’s best cornerback.
They got into a shoving match during a drill the first week of camp, though things were considerably uglier the second time around. Brown and Taylor were battling for a pass in the end zone which Taylor won. The two fell to the ground, and when Brown popped up, he connected with a punch to Taylor’s face.
It took several players and a helping hand from Colbert to get the players separated. While coach Mike Tomlin shrugged it off, Brown knew he needed to do something to make sure it didn’t fester.
“We ironed out our differences and realized how much we mean to the team, him being a leader in his room and me being a young guy, a leader in my room,” Brown said. “That’s not the way we want to put our look for the fans and our teammates. And that’s not what our organization is about.”
Brown and Taylor insist there is no correlation between the dust-ups and Taylor’s close friendship with Mike Wallace. The Pro Bowl wideout remains in New Orleans hoping to get a long-term deal, ideally one even more lucrative than the six-year, $42 million contract Brown signed on July 27.
Taylor remains optimistic his buddy will be back in the fold before the regular season starts. The Steelers travel to Denver in the opener on Sept. 9.
“Mike is taking care of Mike right now,” Taylor said. “As long as he’s working out, getting ready for football, that’s all that matters.”