Cam Heyward on Antonio Brown: 'You Don't Let Your Brothers Down'

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward chided wide receiver Antonio Brown on Wednesday for not playing in the season-closing game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Heyward appeared on WDVE (h/t Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk) and acknowledged that while he and his teammates would like to see Brown remain with the Steelers, the All-Pro wideout can't allow something similar to happen again in the future:

"We all want AB here, but to be a part of this team you can't do that. You don't let your brothers down. It hurt more knowing that there were multiple people in that locker room giving everything they've got. ... I think everybody wants AB on the team, but we've got to be on the same page.

"From the top to the bottom, we all have to be accountable for it. I'm sure [general manager] Kevin [Colbert], Coach [Mike] Tomlin will be talking to him. Going forward, that's unacceptable. We all sign up for this game, and we all sign up to be part of this team."

Per Gerry Dulac and Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Brown didn't practice all week leading up to Sunday's game against Cincinnati after getting into an argument with a teammate during a walkthrough.

That led to the decision for Brown to sit out the must-win game despite the fact that he was healthy.

Pittsburgh beat the Bengals 16-13 without Brown, but the Steelers fell short of the playoffs because the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Cleveland Browns.

The disagreement between Brown and a teammate reportedly involved quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, although that hasn't been confirmed publicly.

An anonymous Steelers player told Dulac and Bouchette that the Brown situation was "embarrassing" and "the worst I've seen." That player also said it impacted his desire to play.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported Tuesday that Brown asked for a trade because of his issues with Roethlisberger and head coach Mike Tomlin. On Wednesday, however, Tomlin said that Brown hadn't asked for a trade, per ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler.

The 30-year-old Brown is a Hall of Fame-caliber player, and he had another huge year in 2018 with 104 receptions for 1,297 yards and a career-high 15 touchdowns.

JuJu Smith-Schuster emerged as a top-flight wideout across from him, though, which could make it a bit easier for the Steelers to part with Brown. Brown is under contract through the 2021 season after signing a five-year, $73 million deal in 2017.

If Pittsburgh does trade Brown, it would allow 2018 second-round pick James Washington to potentially step into a starring role alongside Smith-Schuster.

Not to be forgotten, three-time Pro Bowl running back Le'Veon Bell sat out the entire 2018 season because of a contract dispute, and that experience could play into the decision-making process with Brown.