JuJu Smith-Schuster said he was disappointed with how Antonio Brown’s tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers ended but said he wouldn’t describe their subsequent Twitter feud as hatred.
The Steelers wide receiver exchanged words with Brown since the seven-time Pro Bowl and four-time All-Pro wideout was traded to the Oakland Raiders, essentially ending a friendship formed over the past two seasons.
“I liked him as a role model. That situation, I didn’t want it to end like that,” Smith-Schuster said Wednesday at minicamp at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side. “I have no hard feelings against him. Obviously, if we were ever in the same room I’m going to say what’s up to him.
“I think hatred is a huge word to use against somebody. At the end of the day, he’s a great player. He comes out every day, has work ethic. He worked hard. Other than that, I don’t have anything towards him or anything like that.”
Smith-Schuster said he “learned a lot” from Brown’s volatile exit from the Steelers, in which he took shots at general manager Kevin Colbert, coach Mike Tomlin and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to force a trade.
“Honestly, I always told myself I never want to be the center of attention for causing problems or any issues for the organization,” Smith-Schuster said. “When stuff like that goes sideways, I say what I say and then I back out and leave it how it is.”
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