Throwing a cooler is not that big of a deal. Can we not agree, that at that specific time in the game, Antonio Brown was channeling the frustration of nearly every Steelers fan?

Its no secret that the Pittsburgh Steelers offense has been fairly inconsistent this season. The inability to convert on third downs, drives dying out once in enemy territory and the predictable penalty that negates decent runs by Le’Veon Bell has led to fans scratching their heads until hair falls out.

It can easily be argued that Brown has been one of the few if not the only Steeler on offense who has shown up to each game. He had every right to be pissed off.

Could he have handled himself better? Yes. In fact, him swatting away a coach’s hand should be seen as more of an issue than tossing a cooler; That is much more disrespectful and diva-ish than having beef with a Gatorade cooler.

However, I felt this was necessary to talk about after I had read what former Steeler Ryan Clark had to say about Brown’s off-field antics.

He’s done a very good spin job of having us think, or making people think who don’t know him, that it’s all about the Pittsburgh Steelers, [Brown is] just a hard worker who’s here to win football games. No, Antonio Brown loves Antonio Brown. – Former Steelers Safety, Ryan Clark

I couldn’t disagree more with Clark. Between showing up in a 1930s Rolls Royce, dressing up in “eye-popping” suits and live streaming on Facebook while coach Mike Tomlin lectured the team after a sloppy win in Kansas City, Brown is the stereotypical self-absorbed wide receiver.

What, because the guy shows up on a few local commercials and coins the word “Boomin'”, he has disguised himself as something different?

This situation has been blown way out of proportion, mainly because there is no context. This wasn’t just one incident that caused Brown’s eruption. It was the buildup of four straight weeks of subpar football.

The drive before Brown blew up, the Steelers marched from their own three yard line, down 84 yards on 16 plays taking up over 10 minutes to simply settle for a field goal – something the offense has become too accustomed to.

I am sure no one on that offense was happy, but Brown does not shy away from expression – this should be obvious. Maybe it wasn’t the best way to show displeasure, but I was happy to see someone get angry, even if it was motivated from selfishness.

Brown has been the Steelers most consistent offensive piece since his arrival and has made Ben Roethlisberger’s job much, much easier. To expect Brown to act differently or to believe this is the last time we’ll ever see something similar to it is delusional thinking.

When you pay a wide receiver with his personality the type of money he is getting, what do you really expect?

Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated

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