Antonio Brown's reasoning behind his forced separation with the Pittsburgh Steelers remains a mystery. While it's clear Brown isn't happy with the organization, the question of why remains unanswered. We're also still trying to find out exactly what transpired between Brown and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger during the last Wednesday practice of the 2018 regular season, the practice where Brown reportedly yelled "I'm done!" (or something of that nature) before walking off the practice field and not returning to the team until Sunday's game. Brown, who left Sunday's game before it's conclusion, has not spoken with the organization since despite numerous attempts by Mike Tomlin, Big Ben, and other Steelers players to get into contact with him.

On Wednesday, NFL Network analyst and former Green Bay Packers receiver James Jones reported what he hears transpired between Brown and Roethlisberger last Wednesday that ultimately served as Brown's "boiling point".

“I have talked to a couple people in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ organization. And they told me this has been lingering on. Big Ben and AB’s relationship is not like that. They may try and cover it up in public. AB has never came out and trashed Big Ben but Big Ben has come out and said things about AB and other players and other receivers. “I’ve been told in meetings [Roethlisberger] would take shots at AB. Like, ‘I don’t got to throw you the ball,’ in those terms and things like that. “Wednesday in practice, when he did practice, I heard he ran the wrong route, Big Ben threw the ball on the ground, said, ‘Get him out of here. Get somebody else in there,’ and that’s when AB was at his boiling point and that’s when he went off.” “And we all know when we get mad, we say things that we don’t wanna say. Trade me, I don’t wanna play with Big Ben…all that type of stuff. “This comes back to the relationship of Big Ben and AB, because when I listen and I say he hasn’t returned any of Big Ben’s calls, if I respect you and have a relationship with you like that…you have a conversation and you talk it out. But for him to call him back and respond, that lets you know the relationship that they have…it’s always somebody else’s fault but [Roethlisberger’s]."

A couple of things to digest here. First, Jones' report is saying that this happened during practice, which goes against previous reports stating that Big Ben and Brown's incident took place during walk throughs. Secondly, even if Roethlisbeger did do what Jones reported, that doesn't condone Brown leaving Wednesday's practice early, then cutting out on the next several days of practice while refusing to ignore phone calls from his head coach. Lastly, if Brown has an issue with the way Roethlisberger addresses him, he needs to handle it in a professional manner. Maybe Brown has, and for whatever reason, it hasn't improved the situation. But regardless, there's no situation that can condone quitting on your team in it's darkest hour.

Brown may not be traded, but he needs to, at some point, accept responsibility for his actions. His legacy -- and quite possibly his future in Pittsburgh -- depends on it.