Former NFL superstar Antonio Brown hopped on Instagram live Friday and accused his former teammate on the Pittsburgh Steelers, James Harrison, of giving him CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy).
“I wanted to tell you guys that I think James Harrison gave me CTE,” Brown said. “James Harrison had an illegal helmet for over 20 years in the NFL and he hit me one time. Ever since he hit me I’ve been super aggressive, so blame James Harrison for my CTE.”
Brown and Harrison were teammates from 2010 to 2017.
Former #Steelers WR Antonio Brown claims LB James Harrison gave him CTE after hitting him with his helmet. (@BlitzGuyOG)
“Ever since he hit me I’ve been super aggressive. So blame James Harrison for my CTE.” pic.twitter.com/vy8PR9YNuI
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 4, 2023
CTE is a brain disease that is caused from repetitive trauma to the head. CTE is commonly found in football players due to the physical nature of the sport. There are many side effects from having the disease. Most notably it can make people act aggressively, impair their judgement, create anxiety and depression, cause parkinsonism and more, according to the Boston University CTE Center.
Antonio Brown played 12 years in the NFL as a wide-receiver and has, of course, taken a few bumps to his head throughout the course of his career from being tackled and delivering blows himself. That said, nobody will really know if Brown actually has the disease until a diagnosis, which current can only be performed after death, according to the Boston University CTE Center. (RELATED: NFL Reveals Significant Increase In Documented Concussions From 2021 To 2022)
Brown has come under fire recently for various allegations of aggressive behavior. He posted a sexually explicit photo of the mother of his children on his Snapchat story, allegedly body slammed a woman inside of a Dubai pool while naked, misrepresented his COVID-19 vaccination status, and quit on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers midway through a game after arguing with his head coach.
Over time, Brown has turned out to be bad news for his teams. He’s off the walls and in the headlines far too often for the wrong reasons. However, knowing that he may be suffering from the condition makes me feel bad for him.
Hopefully A.B. can stay away from trouble and find the right help he needs as time goes on.