Antonio Brown Responds to Ex-Steelers Staffer's Jab with Trade Dare on Twitter

A former member of the Pittsburgh Steelers public relations team, Ryan Scarpino, suggested Monday that Antonio Brown wouldn't be as productive without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger or on another team.

And Brown wasn't having it at all: 

Suffice it to say, the court of public opinion sided with the superstar receiver:

The Steelers are coming off a 42-37 Week 2 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs after tying the Cleveland Browns in their opener.

"Everybody is butt hurt we lost," Steelers DE Cam Heyward said when asked about Brown's tweet and concern outside the locker room, per Will Graves of the Associated Press.

Yes, Brown has benefitted from having an excellent quarterback in Roethlisberger during his career, no doubt. But system wide receivers don't post five straight seasons of at least 100 receptions, 1,200 yards receiving and eight touchdown receptions. System wideouts aren't voted to six Pro Bowls and aren't named as first-team All-Pro selections four times. System receivers probably wouldn't have ranked No. 7 on Pro Football Focus' list of the best players from the 2017 season.

Brown is a future Hall of Famer. Roethlisberger aided him in that progression, but it's folly to suggest it couldn't, or wouldn't, have happened elsewhere.