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USA Today via Reuters

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USA Today via Reuters

For more than half a decade, Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger reigned atop the AFC North, creating magic out of thin air and becoming one of the most effective aerial connection threats in the NFL. However, it all came crashing down because of a minor misunderstanding and Brown left for the Raiders. Looking back at the episode, AB’s son certainly had a hard time getting over Big Ben.

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An old video recently resurfaced on the internet from Brown’s time in Oakland after the Pittsburgh Steelers episode ended. Despite the apparent online animosity between Brown and Big Ben, fans got a dose of the fallen glory and camaraderie.

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AB’s son wanted Ben Roethlisberger in the Raiders

Antonio Brown was well on his way to becoming one of the best receivers in the league, especially after his 6315 receiving yards and 43 touchdowns in a four-year span from 2013 to 2016. However, all that ended when AB feuded with his quarterback, 2x Super Bowl champion, Ben Roethlisberger.

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Brown asked for a trade and ended up in Oakland the next season, playing with Derek Carr. However, AB’s son wanted Ben back. “Where’s Ben Roethlisberger,” the young boy asked during an episode of the HBO Documentary ‘Hard Knocks’.

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He plays with the Steelers,” Brown said shyly. “Our quarterback is Derek now. We don’t play with Roethlisberger any more. We play with the Raiders, we play with Derek Carr. That’s my quarterback. Do you know his name,” Brown corrected his son in the episode filmed during the team practice.

The Antonio Brown and Big Ben breakup

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During a Week 4 clash against divisional rivals Baltimore Ravens in 2017, Roethlisberger ignored an open Antonio Brown on his left line and missed a crucial third down extension. And AB wasn’t happy about it, taking his anger out on the sideline cooler after the offense came off.

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Roethlisberger didn’t appreciate the tantrums and heavily critiqued Brown during a subsequent radio interview. “It’s not like I intentionally didn’t throw it to him. I was doing what my reads tell me to do. Don’t even want to say I made a mistake,” Ben said. “It’s unfortunate he acted and reacted in that way.”

Roethlisberger’s radio outbursts, especially when it came to his wide receivers, were a well-known phenomenon. Former Steel Curtain wideouts Emmanuel Sanders and Hines Ward have also spoken out in the past against Big Ben airing the team laundry in public during his weekly radio appearances.

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Things worked out well for Antonio Brown in the end. After an 11-day stint in New England, No. 84 made his way to sunny Tampa Bay and joined forces with Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. With a Super Bowl ring later, AB’s son surely had no problem putting Big Ben in the rearview mirror.

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Soumyapriyo Ganguly

964 Articles

Soumyapriyo Ganguly is an NFL writer at EssentiallySports. Ganguly (or Rivu, as he is affectionately known) is a sports enthusiast and a comprehensive all-rounder when it comes to dissecting high-profile matchups. He brings his academic background in Economics and Finance to the fore to provide insights into franchise finances and player contracts.

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Nidhi Rana

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