OT: Shouldn’t we be applauding Antonio Brown?

[TL1961]

I’m talking specifically about walking away in the middle of a competition, which could absolutely be a mental health issue for Brown. Assholes can have legitimate mental health problems too.

But I’m seeing a bunch of stuff today about how he let his team down and wasn’t there to compete when his teammates needed him to.

Just trying to figure out when someone’s a hero and when they’re a quitter. What I’m hearing is that if fans don’t like you, you’re a quitter. If fans like you, you’re a hero. That about right?

So, in other words, you're seeing similar reaction that we saw with Simone Biles in the Olympics. That's not surprising. We will see many people criticize, many diagnose something they know nothing about from afar, and many offer support for someone who may indeed need help.

Being a smart alec about it does no good.

 

[Raskolnikov]

Simone most definitely needs to be applauded but as for AB... Most of the time being an egotistical, self-centered asshole is not a mental health disorder.

Just because it’s normal now doesn’t mean your ok.

they do have labels for those particular thought patterns in DSM-VI, Psychiatry handbook, it’s just not considered disorder until it effects your life negatively or your life becomes unmanageable.

likely most of those people don’t understand the number of quality people and the opportunities that come with them they have pushed away.

 

[Toast88]

So, in other words, you're seeing similar reaction that we saw with Simone Biles in the Olympics. That's not surprising. We will see many people criticize, many diagnose something they know nothing about from afar, and many offer support for someone who may indeed need help.

Being a smart alec about it does no good.

Its true that there were many different reactions, but we as a society largely used that incident to finally get over the hump of not villainizing people who put their mental health first—especially in a crisis. That was an awesome step forward.

To so simply turn around mere months later and make fun of a guy for “quitting on his team” is shameful, I think.

For the record, I’m a big Simone Biles fan and not a fan of Antonio Brown at all. But when I saw him pull off his stuff and leave the field, I saw a guy who’s going through some shit and battling stuff in his own head. I’m not crying for him, but it *was* sad to see.

I thought we’d turn on sports-themed TV and radio last night and today and hear about how we need to continue to have frank discussions on mental health issues, and break the mental health stigma surrounding professional athletes.

Instead, we saw and heard the same old “I can’t believe this guy quit on his team!” refrains across the sportsphere. There were **some** people who rightly brought up mental health, but they were few and far between. Shameful. I thought we were making progress.

 

[Leomaz]

How many posters here have mental illness? Betting 22%

You are the only one that is obvious

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

If Antonio Brown leaving his team and potentially the NFL turns out to be related to his mental health, shouldn’t we applaud him for walking away?

I thought we call athletes heroes when they walk away in the middle of a competition due to mental health issues? Did I miss a memo somewhere?


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Simone Biles competed with kidney stones and a broken foot. She then went onto Tokyo where they were changed the complete scoring system because she's so much better than everyone else that the IOC thought it was too unfair. Nevermind that she's the face of a sexual assault scandal that swept under the rug by an organization that was supposed to be looking out for her.

Antonio Brown froze his foot, beat up a woman, and printed up phony Covid vax cards.

I can't even begin to imagine where you would even come up with this comparison. Other than being a fucking idiot.

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

I’ve heard old teammates say AB was born after that Burfict hit

I think that has a lot to do with things.

 

[Toast88]

Simone Biles competed with kidney stones and a broken foot. She then went onto Tokyo where they were changed the complete scoring system because she's so much better than everyone else that the IOC thought it was too unfair. Nevermind that she's the face of a sexual assault scandal that swept under the rug by an organization that was supposed to be looking out for her.

Antonio Brown froze his foot, beat up a woman, and printed up phony Covid vax cards.

I can't even begin to imagine where you would even come up with this comparison. Other than being a fucking idiot.

Didn’t mean to make you angry, man.

We should all be held accountable for our actions, but did you ever think some of those might be at least partially attributed to mental health issues?

In any case, like I said, I was speaking purely of the act of walking away from a competition while battling mental health issues, regardless of past.

You could argue that you *can’t* divorce the past from the situation, but I could just as easily counter-argue that the past feeds into the mental health problems.

Hey, I got no problem with people not liking AB. I don’t like him. But it’s shitty to point and laugh at his exit like he’s there to amuse us, like he owes *us* anything.

 

[94c4lt1]

Just because it’s normal now doesn’t mean your ok.

they do have labels for those particular thought patterns in DSM-VI, Psychiatry handbook, it’s just not considered disorder until it effects your life negatively or your life becomes unmanageable.

likely most of those people don’t understand the number of quality people and the opportunities that come with them they have pushed away.

DSM-V (or 5) is what you mean. There is no DSM-VI. Besides any professional clinician would have to actually engage in consultation and therapy for a while before making any diagnosis with a patient - regardless of having access to the DSM.

We are just mouth breathing forum knuckledraggers banging out dissonant theories and controversial discourse over the internetzzzzz. I wouldn’t put much stock in any remote diagnostics from the likes of our slack jawed louts (of which I include myself ofc).

 

[Krogoth]

Quite frankly it all boils down to the execution.
Had brown notified a coach he was having emotional issues and could not continue, had he waited on the sidelines until the end of the game...even had he went through the tunnel at that moment without the undressing and marching through the end zone, I would never give it a second thought.

He acted like a spoiled brat.
The reaction of the team and coaches support that perspective.

If his actions came out of nowhere, unprovoked, the team never would have let him take off as he did.
There was plenty of time to go after him if they were concerned for his well being.

My guess is we will eventually find out there was an ongoing disagreement that blew up leading to him acting like an insubordinate brat.

I bet down the road we hear it was blowback from brown about a coaching disagreement that was brought up and exploded on the sideline.

I expect a b-roll camera shot to surface showing what ignited it at some point, or at the very least a solid explanation of the event.

 

[dweebs19]

I’m talking specifically about walking away in the middle of a competition, which could absolutely be a mental health issue for Brown. Assholes can have legitimate mental health problems too.

But I’m seeing a bunch of stuff today about how he let his team down and wasn’t there to compete when his teammates needed him to.

Just trying to figure out when someone’s a hero and when they’re a quitter. What I’m hearing is that if fans don’t like you, you’re a quitter. If fans like you, you’re a hero. That about right?

i see what you're trying to say and I agree with athletes taking time off if mentally affected. The difference here is that AB has never said he has mental health issues that he needs to fix. We are just assuming, and for good reason, that he has mental health issues. The other athletes such as Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles publicly admitted that they were having mental health issues.

 

[Krogoth]

Just to add one more thought.
I am 95% sure there is a bit of friction that exploded here, and Brown went nuts.
His history and the teams reaction is what I base my opinion on.

But- if this was an out of nowhere, unprovoked explosion, the team fucked up bad.
If this came out of left field, every supporting member of the team should have stopped him and ensured his safety.
If they let him leave the stadium alone in an Uber to God knows where after an insane freak out that came from nowhere, then they are dysfunctional and idiotic and are lucky he didn't wind up dead in a ditch somewhere.
A psychotic break with no trigger is not a time to let someone wander off alone.

My opinion is influenced almost entirely by that reaction from the team.
He had to have a history for them to let him walk unobstructed.

 

[onebud34]

Everson Griffin had to go off the rails twice before they diagnosed him with a mental disorder. I'm with Dungy on AB, stop enabling him by signing him to a contract. Dude has some sort of mental issue...whether it is CTE or something else. He probably will have to hit rock bottom till he seeks help though.

 

[remydat]

Everyone with common sense knows AB is not mentally fit. Brady just got the Pats and Bucs to ignore it to chase a ring. Hence why Brady was all so compassionate after this latest incident. He knows he was trying to get his pound of flesh from AB before the next flare up and now the flare up happened so time to move on.

Brady and Bucs probably just relieved his flare up was this incident instead of him killing someone or some shit. Now he can fade away and then be denied medical coverage by the NFL on the basis that as a black player he is naturally dumber so need a lower baseline to get coverage.

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

I’m talking specifically about walking away in the middle of a competition, which could absolutely be a mental health issue for Brown. Assholes can have legitimate mental health problems too.

But I’m seeing a bunch of stuff today about how he let his team down and wasn’t there to compete when his teammates needed him to.

Just trying to figure out when someone’s a hero and when they’re a quitter. What I’m hearing is that if fans don’t like you, you’re a quitter. If fans like you, you’re a hero. That about right?

Strong and uncomfortable words - but honestly? Dead on. Good job calling out the double standard.

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

How many posters here have mental illness? Betting 22%

Can I bet the over?

 

[Midwaymonster75]

But I’m seeing a bunch of stuff today about how he let his team down and wasn’t there to compete when his teammates needed him to.

Just trying to figure out when someone’s a hero and when they’re a quitter. What I’m hearing is that if fans don’t like you, you’re a quitter. If fans like you, you’re a hero. That about right?

I agree with what youre getting at here. As far as BIles thing goes isnt super human mental toughness part of what being an elite athlete is? She flat out quit on her team because she felt overwhelmed? Shes a woman and shes black. That is why she got the reaction she got. This is a fact and people are afraid to say it. Lets how it would go if Tom Brady sat out the Superbowl because he was feeling overwhelmed. Hed get raked over the coals.
That being said imho its a bad comparison with a diva wr whom yes i do believe has mental issues but hes also made it clear that its all about him and when its not he becomes a disruption. He deserves no sympathy. But then again imho neither did BIles.

 

[legendxofxlink]

1 he traveled with the team
2 he dressed out
3 he refused to play due to an ankle injury then ran off the field hopping around and throwing his clothes in the crowd due to coaches asking him to play
4 this cost him millions of dollars

it’s definitely a mental health issue.

 

[thenewguy]

Miguel just faced this choice at the All Valley. Tough times

 

[PrideisBears]

AB is getting shunned for no reason but that’s because of his theatrics that are coming with his mental breakdown while also never saying he has a problem. He legit might not believe he has one or is too ashamed to admit he has one. Now I wonder if the OP can guess the type of people who attacked Simone and AB and called them quitters regardless of the their mental issues?

 

[remydat]

Miguel just faced this choice at the All Valley. Tough times

Johnny at least admitted he was at fault.