So much for subtlety.
Antonio Brown has been seemingly tiptoeing around his desire to join the San Francisco 49ers for weeks. But late Friday morning, the Pittsburgh Steelers star receiver was less cryptic and as direct as he has been since his late-season drama with the Steelers.
A message posted to Brown’s verified Instagram account was an altered photo of a player wearing a No. 84 “Brown” 49ers jersey hugging San Francisco all-time great Jerry Rice.
The Brown Instagram post quotes Rice from a radio interview he did earlier this month: “If you got a player like that, that you can get that can really add to the offense, you have to go for it.”
The message Brown posted himself on the post reads, “When the goat embrace you……”
“G.O.A.T.” is a commonly accepted acronym for “Greatest Of All Time.”
Brown did not play in the Steelers’ must-win Week 17 game after he complained about a knee injury and did not practice all week. Brown, according to coach Mike Tomlin, did not get an MRI on the knee as he was directed to, and he ignored calls from Tomlin and others associated with the Steelers.
Brown’s previous social-media posts have suggested joining the 49ers or other teams.
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Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris at cadamski@tribweb.com or via Twitter @C_AdamskiTrib.
