Antonio Brown feud cost Steelers legend chance at coaching return

It’s easy to blame former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown for many things these days, but costing Hines Ward a job was not one we expected.

Ward, who now coaches the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL, never really considered joining the Steelers coaching staff for one very good reason — Antonio Brown.

“It didn’t happen because Hines was telling me that he wanted to have final say,” Aditi Kinkhabwala told 93.7 The Fan. “He [Ward] wanted to be able to hold everyone accountable the way he wanted to. And at that point, AB already had his own rule. And Hines had gone to Mike Tomlin and said, ‘I can’t do this unless I get to make the rules, unless everyone adheres to what I want and how I want it done.’ And AB was already past that.”

With Brown on the roster at the time, there was very little chance that Ward would be able to hold him to such a high standard. AB was the star for a reason.

Steelers: Antonio Brown-Hines Ward feud bubbled under the surface

Ward retired from the NFL back in 2011, which was just Brown’s second season. Still, there was reportedly animosity between the two wide receivers. AB even admitted as much in 2022 on the Cigar Talk podcast, where he spoke rather bluntly about Hines.

“I’m trying to tell him, ‘Hurry up and get out the way [laughs].’ When you in the NFL, it’s time to pave your own way, set your own principles. You know what I mean? At that point — Hines Ward was not the same guy I looked at in college … It’s my time, I’m going to take his spot. Like he need to be on the bench and watching me play,” Brown said.

Eventually, Ward did make way for AB, but it would have served Brown to treat a legend right on his way out. The fact that he didn’t is likely the reason Ward didn’t give much thought to coaching on Tomlin’s staff.