Free agent wide receiver Antonio Brown took to social media Monday, saying he wants to retire as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers — a team with whom he had an acrimonious breakup.
“Just wanna Retire A Steeler,” Brown tweeted, later pinning the tweet to the top of his profile.
“Not Play Jus Retire so we Clear,” the 33-year-old added in a follow-up.
It was not clear whether the controversial figure meant he was ready to retire from football now. In March, Brown expressed interest in joining the Cleveland Browns.
Brown was named to seven Pro Bowls and five All-Pro teams during his nine-year stint with the Steelers (2010-18), totaling 837 receptions for 11,207 yards and 74 touchdowns. But after he got into an argument with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and was benched for an important Week 17 game for missing practices, he requested a trade after his 2018 season.
Brown last played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He removed his pads and jersey and left the field during the third quarter of Tampa Bay’s Week 17 road win over the New York Jets.
A few days later the Buccaneers released Brown and the wideout claimed the team forced him to play hurt and covered up facts related to his injury. Then-head coach Bruce Arians denied the allegations.
Brown told TMZ Sports in March he won’t undergo an ankle surgery he needs until he has a deal with a new team.