Steelers' Antonio Brown benched after he skipped practices

Steelers receiver Antonio Brown did not play in the season-ending game against the Cincinnati Bengals because he elected to sit out practice last week after a dispute with Ben Roethlisberger, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has learned.

The disagreement occurred Wednesday morning during a routine walk-through practice that precedes their regular afternoon practice on the South Side. Brown was disgusted and threw a football in Roethlisberger’s direction, several sources said. After that, Brown did not practice the rest of the week. According to a source, it was Brown’s decision not to practice with his teammates.

Brown has been involved in some controversies and confrontations this year. He verbally accosted two members of the media and, in response to what he felt was a slight from a former member of the Steelers PR department, he responded on social media, “Trade me let’s find out.”

Brown also was accused of throwing furniture from the 14th-floor balcony of a Florida luxury apartment complex in April while in a rage about a missing $80,000 and gun, according to a lawsuit and police reports.

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2018/12/31/antonio-brown-dispute-steelers-news-nfl/stories/201812310108