Antonio Brown withdraws from Pro Bowl; JuJu Smith-Schuster to replace him
Citing an injury, wide receiver Antonio Brown will not play in the Pro Bowl, opening the door for teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster to replace him in the all-star contest, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced Monday.
Brown missed the season finale against Cincinnati with what the Steelers said was a knee injury. But according to coach Mike Tomlin, Brown skipped an MRI test on his knee and was declared healthy enough to play by his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.
Brown was declared inactive by Tomlin because he missed the team walkthrough and meeting on the day before the final game.
Despite Brown’s injury claim, he posted a video onto his verified Instagram account Sunday showing parts of his workout which included him sprinting on a treadmill.
The Pro Bowl will be played Jan. 27 in Orlando, Fla.
Brown was named to the Pro Bowl for the sixth consecutive season and seventh time overall in his nine-year career.
Smith-Schuster will make his first Pro Bowl appearance. In his second NFL season, he led the Steelers with 111 receptions and 1,426 yards. He had eight games with at least 100 receiving yards. Smith-Schuster also was named team MVP in a vote by his teammates.
Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe at jrutter@tribweb.com or via Twitter @tribjoerutter.
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
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