Antonio Brown Asked About Mental Health, CTE during Wild Podcast: 'I've Got Mental Wealth'

Antonio Brown recently appeared on the "Full Send Podcast."

Football can be a violent game. 

Wide receiver Antonio Brown, in his 12th season in the league, is well aware of the potential consequences of playing a contact sport as violent as professional football. 

Brown, like any tenured pro football player, has taken his fair share of big hits throughout his career, none bigger than the crushing hit he took from then-Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict in the 2016 playoffs.

That hit came in Brown’s seventh year as a pro, in the midst of his legendary tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, five seasons later, Brown has just been released from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, after leaving the field during the team’s Week 17 game against the New York Jets.

The exit is the latest in a long stretch of puzzling behavior from the former All-Pro. He requested a trade from the Steelers in 2019, and then asked for a release from the then-Oakland Raiders before ever playing a game with the team.

Some believe this behavior has been caused by CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is a brain condition believed to be caused by repeated blows to the head.

Brown, speaking on the "Full Send Podcast" hosted by Bob Menery, explained his stance on the thoughts circulating the internet that he may have CTE. He believes the physicality that is a big part of the game takes its toll on players who often carry the ball.

“This is a war game,” Brown said. “When you running that ball, defensive guys think in their mind, literally, ‘Hey man, I’m gonna kill you.’ See what I’m saying? That’s their mentality, because that’s what they have to have.”

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The former sixth-round pick out of Central Michigan said this physicality is a part of the game. He added that he believes he is in a good head space and not dealing with any of the symptoms often associated with the brain condition.

“CTE, you can’t scan a person for CTE ’til they’re dead, first off,” Brown claimed. "So how you going to say a player that’s living in real time, who putting up real stats, who’s standing for real purposes, who’s doing real things, got CTE?”

“I don’t need no one to judge my mental space,” Brown continued. “I’ve got mental health, I’ve got mental wealth, as a matter of fact. Not mental health, mental wealth. I didn’t just come on the show to drop you guys juice. I came here to Kumbaya.”

When it comes to the early exit from the matchup with the Jets, Brown shed some light on his side of the story. According to the receiver, he was dealing with an ankle injury that he had made the Tampa Bay coaching staff aware of. He felt he was unfit to play, and when he refused to go back in the game, it led to a dispute with the coaching staff that ended with him walking off the field.

“Imagine the guy who you think has your back, who you flew here with to do a mission, and they know your situation,” Brown said. “And you get there and you’re battling with them, then he tells you that because you can’t go to war with him, he tells you to get the f*** out of there? I’m an alpha male. If you discriminate on my public image and my name, at that point, it’s f*** you, too, professionally.”

Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians has denied claims that he knew of Brown’s injury.

Brown was also asked about his relationship with Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, who has publicly vouched for the veteran receiver on multiple occasions during different off-field situations. He referred to himself and Brady as “friends,” but went on to be critical of the player some consider to be the greatest football player of all time.

“Brady can’t do s*** by himself,” Brown said. “But,  you guys are going to make it seem like he’s just this heroic guy. Bro, we’re all humans, bro. We’re dependent on someone else to do the job.”

Brown was formally released by Tampa Bay on Thursday, and cleared waivers, making him a free agent. He said on the podcast that he hopes to continue his playing career.