Can Antonio Brown’s current problems be traced to the brutal hit by Vontaze Burfict’s more than four years ago?

The Bengals Vontaze Burfict prepares to hit Antonio Brown in January 2016

Photo: Getty

Antonio Brown is back in the news for some of his aberrant behavior that took place during his eight-game suspension by the NFL. This was prior to his being signed by the Tampa Bay Bucs.

However, the question about why he does things like destroying a surveillance camera and throwing a bike at a building, like he allegedly did, along with engaging in criminal behavior, has always been difficult to pinpoint.

Antonio Brown has been somewhat of an enigma to me, but perhaps I underestimated the reports that perhaps he is suffering from CTE [Chronic traumatic encephalopathy], which is a condition of the brain that results from too many hits to the head. 

What I loved about A.B. was that as a sixth-round pick, he worked exceedingly hard to become a top receiver in the NFL. He became the Steelers’ to receiver and then arguably the best in the league for a number of years. 

Then, somehow, he became the most despised athlete in Pittsburgh history — along with Le’Veon Bell for his aberrant behavior that led the Steelers to trade him to the Raiders, who released him, to be signed by the Patriots, who released him, and so on. 

Why would an athlete behave like he has for the past few years? 

Earlier this year, Brown was interviewed by ESPN and denied that he had CTE, but who will readily agree to that. 

ESPN interview

Prior to the 2020 Super Bowl, Brown said this in an interview with Josina Anderson of ESPN, who asked him if the brutal, dirty hit by Burfict caused him to have CTE,

Anderson: Some people speculate that Vontaze Burfict's hit has adversely impacted your behavior after that. Is that true?

Brown: Nah, he didn't hit me that hard. You know, I got up and walked off the field. We won the game, right? I was alright.

Anderson: So some people when they talk about you, they say Antonio Brown needs mental help. 

Or he shows signs of needing mental help. Do you need mental help?

Brown: We all need mental help. I'm like an animal in a cage. Like, everyone just talks about me. I can't go out of my house. ... Everything I do is in the face of people - facing someone talking -  someone making an assumption about me.

Anderson: So you don't feel like you have CTE? You're not concerned about it?

Brown: No, If I had CTE, I wouldn't be able to have this beautiful gym. I wouldn't be able to be creative. I wouldn't be able to ...

Anderson: You might have the early stages, AB, just to be clear.

Brown: I don't know. Aaron Hernandez? No, I'm perfectly fine.

Dave Clark, “Antonio Brown denies long-term effect of Vontaze Burfict hit: 

‘He didn’t hit me that hard’,” Cincinnati Enguirer, Feb. 3, 2020

Behavior changed

The Enquirer article pointed out a comment from Pittsburgh sports radio host and former newspaper writer Colin Dunlap that indicated that his behavior was such that CTE was a possibility,

Last week, Pittsburgh radio host Colin Dunlap said Brown, who faces charges of felony burglary with battery, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, and criminal mischief after turning himself in to authorities in Broward County, Florida, said he's "a firm believer" that Burfict's hit on Brown changed Brown's life.

Dave Clark, Cincinnati Enquirer, February 3, 2020

Needs repeated blows

While the Burfit hit was much more than Brown acknowledges since he suffered a serious concussion and missed some time, the truth is that CTE occurs after repeated hits to the brain,

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a brain condition associated with repeated blows to the head. It is also associated with the development of dementia. Potential signs of CTE are problems with thinking and memory, personality changes, and behavioral changes including aggression and depression.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), Alzheimer’s.org

Brown has probably suffered a number of concussions, and CTE cannot be accurately diagnosed until an examination of the brain takes place after death. 

He conceivably could be in state 2 CTE in which people exhibit mood swings, explosive behavior, memory loss, and impulsivity. 

Whether this stems from the hit by Burfict is difficult to ascertain. What is clear is that since that time, he has been a different person. 

Which is sad on a number of levels. I am still upset with him over his behavior with the Steelers the last few years, but do think that CTE could be a factor in that.