For the second time in the past year, Antonio Brown has retired. Social media has allowed players like Brown to command center stage at any moment. Words and statements have little meaning through these platforms. In fact, Antonio Brown is kidding himself if he thinks that the call on retirement will be his to make.
After talking his way out of Pittsburgh in March of 2019, Brown proceeded to burn his way out of Oakland just five months later. He signed with the New England Patriots long enough to play in one game before being released again. Since then, the receiver has “retired” and then auditioned for multiple teams without any semblance of success.
Videos like the one above illustrate Brown’s desperate attempts at garnering attention from NFL teams that have clearly lost interest in the former all-pro. Along with his reliance on making outlandish statements, like saying that he will retire, Antonio Brown is hoping to stay relevant in the eyes of the league.
At the end of the day, Brown will not be the one who decides when he retires. The receiver clearly wants to play and is using any attention-grabbing tactic at his disposal to make it happen. Ultimately, the NFL teams will decide when the star receiver retires.
Brown is incredibly talented and has all the physical and mental traits to help many teams in the league. His off-field behavior, however, has scared franchises away. As the season approaches, the circumstances for teams will change. Soon enough, a team will have an open spot and no one to fill it. At that point, the NFL and Antonio Brown will decide that it is not quite yet time for him to retire. And the cycle will once again begin.
