Antonio Brown’s career pivot is getting a lot of negative feedback from his NFL peers. The wide receiver and now President of Donda Sports has continued with his rap ambitions and even made it to the stage at Rolling Loud in his backyard of Miami.
However, between the crowd reacting mainly to his celebrity status and not his unproven hit-making ability, one of his NFL peers chose to weigh in, and the feedback wasn’t too favorable.
New Orleans Saints Safety CJ Gardner-Johnson retweeted a self-professed burner account to express his dissatisfaction with Antonio Brown’s current life choices.
https://twitter.com/CGJXXIII/status/1550729770467561473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1550729770467561473%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbrobible.com%2Fsports%2Farticle%2Fcj-gardner-antonio-brown-rolling-loud-festival%2F
“Smh bra lost it, this not it,” Gardner-Johnson expresses atop another comment that read, “Antonio Brown performing at Rolling Loud Miami” with five crying emojis. The video in the post showed AB performing a song with a chorus “do your dance, AB, put that sh*t on.”
Brown also gave the crowd a special hand dance or shimmy that AB worked hard in an orange patent leather overall set without the jacket in the South Florida sun.
AB has made a surprising turn into the commercial rap world since the last time playing in the NFL as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has often been described as “retired,” however, although Brown is not currently on an NFL roster, he hasn’t formally announced an official retirement from the NFL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH3r2nwZUgo
He won a Super Bowl in 2021 with the Bucs and played his last two seasons with the franchise. The world was blind to his issues with the team until he left the sideline suddenly during a game against the New York Jets during the third quarter of a game last season. The action came replete with Brown ripping off his jersey and throwing it into the stands.
Since his departure from the game, at one point, Brown was veritably ubiquitous within the world of pop culture and entertainment. He would be rolling with Kanye West one day and the next sitting with Floyd Mayweather, Madonna, and other global icons.
As his celebrity gained more brand value and momentum outside of sports, he used the pulpit to expose the Buccaneers, specifically his text message interactions with then-head coach Bruce Arians. However, although AB made a case for showcasing a lack of care for athlete maintenance and what looked like a complete disregard for Brown’s decision to focus on self-care, he was not picked up by any team.
Field to Festivals
Pit to the Palace#Boomin #CallGod pic.twitter.com/2l2Q9NtgRX
— AB (@AB84) July 24, 2022
In the NFL, one word is like kryptonite for any high-caliber player: distraction. Once the label is placed on you, especially when you are a Black player with a lot of media scrutiny, you can’t work at the same level again.
Seemingly aware of this, Brown has traded the cleats for the microphone and is now reportedly the first athlete-turned-rapper to perform at Rolling Loud. The rap-only festival is the largest in the world of its kind.
Still, some NFL peers and people in the media were supportive of “Boomin,'” pointing out that he had more love from other artists who only rap and are not athletes, like Kid Cudi.
🤔😂😂 idk minus the lil finger points-cat walk moves lol Antonio Brown seem like he thriving in spite of what the world wanna label him… not too many artist perform at rolling loud let alone football players turned musician but 🤷🏽♂️
— Cam Jordan (@camjordan94) July 23, 2022
“idk minus the lil finger points-cat walk moves lol Antonio Brown seem like he thriving in spite of what the world wanna label him… not too many artist perform at rolling loud let alone football players turned musician but (shrugging shoulders emoji),” New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan posted.
The world is still adjusting to the new AB, but whether his new brand of entertainment is successful or unsuccessful, AB will always sell it as being “Boomin.'”
