Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, hoping to put to rest any lingering controversy surrounding Mike Tomlin's expletive-laced speech he streamed live Sunday night, apologized for creating a "distraction" ahead of this weekend's AFC championship game.
"I let my emotions and genuine excitement get the best of me, and I wanted to share that moment with our fans," Brown said in a statement posted to his Twitter account late Tuesday. "It was wrong of me to do, against team and NFL policy, and I have apologized to Coach Tomlin and my teammates for my actions.
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"I'm sorry to them for letting it become a distraction and something that they've had to answer questions about while we're preparing for a big game on Sunday."
— Antonio Brown (@AntonioBrown) January 18, 2017
Following the Steelers' 18-16 divisional playoff win over the Chiefs, Brown posted 17 minutes of raw footage from the team's locker room to Facebook Live, inadvertently capturing Tomlin's postgame speech and broadcasting it to millions.
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Tomlin, who was heard in the video referring to the Patriots as "those a—holes," also apologized earlier Tuesday and said he regretted his remarks. He called Brown "foolish" and "selfish" and said the star wideout would be punished in-house this week.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said he was "a little disappointed" in Brown's decision to violate the Steelers' "sacred place" inside the locker room, but he downplayed the video having any impact when the Steelers travel to Gillette Stadium to play the Patriots for the AFC title on Sunday.
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It's possible the NFL could also fine Brown if it finds him to be in violation of the league's social media policy, which prohibits players from posting to social media until after media interviews are conducted.
