What was Antonio Brown thinking?

… but Bellichick harboring a murderer like Aaron Hernandez is worse than Brown's video 

Ask any football player: What is said in the locker room between a coach and his team is personal, intended only for those special people on that team.

That is why what Antonio Brown did in placing Coach Mike Tomlin's post-game talk after the Kansas City victory on Facebook live was such an egregious mistake.

At his press conference today, Tomlin called Brown's action "foolish," "selfish," and "inconsiderate," according to the Post-Gazette. It embarrassed the coach and the franchise, and it gave the New England Patriots a stage on which to say that they are better -- character-wise -- than the Steelers.

No doubt, many Steeler fans loved the video. Even more Patriot-haters, and they are legion, felt the same way.

Yet, it was sleazy and really hurt the Steelers in their quest to take down the Patriots.

Roethlisberger on the locker room

In a radio interview, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said this about the special place that a locker room is:

“It’s an unfortunate situation that we’ve got to deal with right now, because that locker room is a sacred place, after the game especially. That’s why we don’t let media people in there. That’s why fans and family aren’t in there. That’s a sacred place where things are said, and hugs and tears, and it’s kind of a special place."

That was the worst part. Brown violated the privacy of his teammates and his coach. This was a special moment, a chance to revel in the opportunity to advance to an AFC championship game and defeat the team that has dominated the conference for years.

Instead, it became a selfish opportunity for him to earn some money as a paid celebrity on Facebook live.

Selfish

Brown should have been listening to his coach and his teammates. Instead, he stood off away from them, away from his teammates, as Sports Illustrated noted, "standing away from his huddled teammates and preening for the camera as if he was a show horse trying to get purchased."

That was the part that offended Roethlisberger. “But I am a little disappointed that he did that, because that is a sacred thing. Coach talked, and then I talked. And you don’t want everyone to know what’s going on in there in the family. And then also, I wish AB would’ve been listening to coach and myself, instead of being on the other side of the locker room."

Locker room jargon

Off-color language is also often a part of locker room talk. Perhaps Knute Rockne did not use any in the greatest locker room speech of all time, "Win one for the Gipper," but coaches over the years have been known to use language that is not appropriate for a G-movie rating.

Since Tomlin used quite a bit of profanity in his diatribe, he was forced to apologize for it on Tuesday, particularly to his wife and family and to young people in general. “The language on the video is regrettable by me and others,” Tomlin said. “This platform we have is precious and awesome. It’s not something we take lightly. Just from a role model standpoint, it’s something I personally embrace and something we as a team embrace. That’s why the language in the content is regrettable.

“That’s why we go to great lengths to preserve certain moments, because we are very sensitive to the opportunity we have as role models. I apologize for the content of the video from that perspective, as a parent and a member of the community. I take that very seriously.”

Reaction of the Patriots

The sad part of this is that now the ethically-challenged Patriots can take the high road. In fact, Brady -- not exactly a paragon of virtue who served a four-game suspension this year because of Deflategate -- said this about the video, according to SI: "I don't think that would go over well with our coach."

Brady did agree with Roethlisberger that what starts in the locker room should stay in the locker room. And he is right that Bellichick would probably keep a better lid on things than Tomlin obviously did not.

However, this "holier than thou" meme by the Patriots is so lame. They forget one event in their recent past.

Bellichick had a murderer on his roster for years

When Patriot tight end Aaron Hernandez was arrested for murder in 2013, Bellichick professed to be shocked, saying that it did not reflect Patriot "values."

Now, Hernandez has been convicted of one murder and will go on trial later this year for two more -- three murders that took place when he was a member of the Patriots.

Bellichick knew full well when he drafted Hernandez that he had serious character issues, and legal problems, in his past. He rolled the dice, and it cost him big-time.

So, in effect, the Patriots had a murderer on their roster for years, probably not just of one person, but of three.

Spare me the pomposity.

Steelers had a chance

Despite their woeful offensive performance against the Chiefs, I thought that the Steelers could do well against the Patriots if they could score touchdowns instead of field goals.

Now, they have a major distraction because of Brown's selfish behavior. It will dominate the week's pre-game media coverage instead of talk about the game itself.

This will not give the Patriots added incentive; they really needed none. The game is for a chance to advance to the Super Bowl, and regardless of all the profane words that Tomlin used to describe them, that will not change.

However, this will not help the Steelers in their quest for success in Foxboro -- though I would not count out a win. The Pats did not exactly look great last week against a Texans' QB who threw three interceptions.

Key: Steelers defense must pressure Brady like the Texans did.

Reputation

For the second time in two weeks, the reputation of the Steelers has taken a serious hit. By reinstating Joey Porter for the KC game instead of keeping him suspended for one game, the Steelers indicated that they were okay with a coach embarrassing their franchise on a national stage.

Perhaps this is payback to Tomlin for allowing such a trash-mouth guy on his staff. Perhaps he should have thought through the damage that was done by Porter, only to be exacerbated by Brown's video that cast them in a harsh, profane light.

Brown's fabulous talent

Antonio Brown is one of the best receivers in the NFL, perhaps the best. But, he is an arrogant idiot at times. Hard-working, but not a great teammate. He pouts when he does not get the ball even though he is being double-teamed. He has criticized his QB for not getting him the ball enough. Ditto for OC Todd Haley, who is most concerned about the team, not AB.

SI noted that Brown showed something to the rest of the world while painting a negative picture of the Steelers. "They didn’t shun a coach giving a mini motivational speech. They didn’t violate the privacy of their teammates. Imagine Julio Jones doing that in Atlanta, or any player under Bill Belichick’s watch, or any player under Tomlin’s watch or any watch at all."

Overall, this is just a sad situation for the Steelers.