Former CMU star WR Antonio Brown announces retirement from NFL
Antonio Brown's days of playing in the NFL are over.
Brown, a former star receiver at Central Michigan, announced in a series of tweets on July 20 that he is retiring from the NFL.
“Is it time to walk away i done everything in the game, at this point the risk is greater than the reward,” Brown tweeted. “Thank you everyone who been part of this journey i sincerely thank you for everything! life goes on 84! I came i saw i conquered mission complete Call God.”
After playing three years at CMU, Brown was a sixth-round (195th overall) draft pick in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team in which he played for nine seasons and made seven Pro Bowls.
Brown faced sexual assault allegations in September 2019 and was released by the New England Patriots soon after. He played one game for the Patriots and caught a touchdown pass.
Just before the 2019 season, Brown was released by the Oakland Raiders following a series of incidents including the use of his outdated helmet, frostbitten feet following a cryotherapy mishap and a battle with Raiders General Manager Mike Mayock, which ended in a near-physical altercation between the two.
There were reports Brown had discussions with the Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens, where his cousin, Marquise, plays, but the deals fell through.
In addition to his seven Pro Bowls, Brown earned First Team All-Pro honors four times and led the league in receiving yards and receptions on two occasions.
Brown played 131 games in the NFL, making 841 catches for 11,263 yards, good for 35th all time, and 75 touchdowns.
At CMU, Brown appeared in 41 games, making 305 receptions for 3,199 yards and 22 touchdowns.
At CMU and in his early days in the NFL, Brown was utilized as a return man on special teams. He brought back four punts and one kickoff for touchdowns in the NFL.
He brought back three punts and two kickoffs for touchdowns at CMU. Brown is also the last Chippewa to bring back a punt for a touchdown, which he did in 2009.
Brown also returned to take classes at CMU, all online, in September 2019. He took four classes during the Fall 2019 semester.
