Former Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Bowlers Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell were allowed to be in the same room together on Monday.
Brown's “CTESPN” podcast hosted the two former stars in a discussion about their unceremonious departures from Pittsburgh.
They spoke openly about their thoughts and fears about chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
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The disease causes mental degeneration in those who have suffered concussions and repeated traumatic brain injuries. It is common among NFL players.
In particular, Brown has been suspected of having the disease. She has repeatedly claimed to have it in social media posts, such as one from September 2023, when she wrote, “She knows I have CTE that's why she licks me” in a video posted on X. In April, she wrote, “My CTE is acting up.”
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During Tuesday's interview with Bell, Brown asked his former teammate if he thought he had the disease. Bell said he didn't think Brown had it, or that he himself had it.
Brown then came up with his own definition of the disease, which is very different from the medical one. Brown denied the idea that CTE causes “brain damage.”
“I don't want to say it's brain damage because you can't live if you're dealing with brain damage,” Brown said. “I feel like people try to frame CTE as a concussion, but hey, we've had a lot of concussions. You know what I mean, which is you can live after a concussion.”
Antonio Brown of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers warms up before a game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on January 2, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Elsa/Getty Images)
Bell initially said he believed CTE was directly related to brain damage, but did not change his stance later in the conversation.
Brown said he believes CTE is a collection of traumatic incidents. He pointed to one incident Bell said he experienced earlier in the program, when he was just 4 years old and had to play defensive and offensive line because his uncle wanted him to get used to the hits in football.
“I think it's a characteristic of the traumas that we all go through,” Brown said. “Any child who has to go through that is developing some kind of trauma because now, as a child, you become more aggressive. You develop anger.”
Le'Veon Bell (26) of the Pittsburgh Steelers stiff-arms Pierre Desir (35) of the Indianapolis Colts during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium on Nov. 12, 2017, in Indianapolis. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
But Brown previously said he believes his CTE was caused by a hit from his teammate, the former Steelers linebacker James Harrison, during an Instagram Live session on February 4.
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“I wanted to tell you that I think James Harrison gave me CTE,” Brown said. “James Harrison wore an illegal helmet for over 20 years in the NFL and hit me once. Since then, I've become very aggressive. So blame James Harrison for my CTE.”
In December, Domestic charges were filed against Brown. after an incident at his home in Florida. The charges were eventually dismissed. In October, he was ordered to pay a moving truck driver $1.2 million after an alleged assault in February 2020.
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