Published: 5:03 PM EST, February 4, 2023 | Updated: 5:10 p.m. EST, February 4, 2023
NFL free agent Antonio Brown attributes his “superaggressive” behavior to a hit he allegedly received from James Harrison.
Speaking on Instagram Live on Friday, Brown accused Harrison of wearing an illegal helmet that somehow caused the fugitive wide receiver to suffer a traumatic head injury. Brown did not specify whether the hit came in practice, when such collisions are rare and frowned upon, or in a game during Harrison’s only season with rival Cincinnati Bengals.
“I wanted to let you guys know that I think James Harrison gave me CTE,” Brown said. “James Harrison wore an illegal helmet in the NFL for over 20 years and he hit me once. And ever since he hit me, I’ve been super aggressive. So blame James Harrison for my CTE.’
Of course, CTE can only be diagnosed posthumously, so Brown doesn’t share a medical diagnosis.
“Ever since he hit me, I’ve been super aggressive. So blame James Harrison for my CTE.”
Former Steelers WR Antonio Brown claims LB James Harrison gave him CTE after hitting him with his helmet 👀
📹 @BlitzGuyOG pic.twitter.com/OXxFFYKDF2
— Sports News NFL (@sn_nfl) February 4, 2023
NFL free agent Antonio Brown attributes his “superaggressive” behavior to a hit he allegedly received from James Harrison.
Brown famously received a vicious hit from another Bengals linebacker, Vontaze Burfict, during a 2016 playoff game, but he specifically accused Harrison of delivering the hit that allegedly left him with CTE.
Harrison’s former agency did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
The degenerative brain disease has been linked to soccer.
In 2017, a Boston University study diagnosed CTE in 110 of 111 former NFL players who died, as part of the largest-ever case series of the disease. Several players posthumously diagnosed with the disease committed suicide, including former Patriots tight end and convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez, and All-Pro linebacker Junior Seau, who shot himself in the chest to save his brain for CTE -researcher to get.
Another former NFL player, Phillip Adams, was found to be suffering from the same illness when he murdered five people in South Carolina last year and then killed himself.
Brown received a vicious hit from another Bengals linebacker, Vontaze Burfict, during a 2016 playoff game (pictured), but he specifically blamed Harrison for delivering the hit that allegedly left him with CTE
Of course, Brown’s behavior has become increasingly erratic in recent years.
He was charged in December with domestic violence charges, which were later dropped, and was sued in 2018 for throwing furniture off a balcony at his Florida apartment complex when a 22-month-old child nearly got hit by some debris. He eventually settled that lawsuit.
In addition, he settled a sexual assault lawsuit with a former personal trainer in 2021, and in 2020 a moving company was awarded $1.2 million in damages after he accused Brown of assaulting him during a disagreement.
Brown has been out of the NFL since January 2022, when he got into a sideline with Buccaneers coaches before removing his jersey and pads and exiting MetLife Stadium in the middle of a game against the New York Jets.
