Bryant talks way into a 1-game suspension
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� Martavis Bryant has officially become a distraction.
The Steelers无毛视频� No. 2 wide receiver 无毛视频� whether by representation, by girlfriend, and/or by his own social-media feeds this past weekend 无毛视频� has talked his way into a suspension for Sunday无毛视频檚 game against the Detroit Lions.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 not playing Sunday, which is fine,无毛视频� said Bryant. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 not tripping or nothing. It is what it is.无毛视频�
Bryant, of course, was 无毛视频渢ripping无毛视频� Sunday night after catching only one pass for three yards in the Steelers无毛视频� win over the Cincinnati Bengals. After the game Bryant, posted on Instagram that the Steelers need to 无毛视频済ive me what I want and y无毛视频檃ll can have juju and who ever else.无毛视频�
JuJu Smith-Schuster, the team无毛视频檚 rookie No. 3 wide receiver, who had five fewer snaps in the game than Bryant, and 33 fewer than Antonio Brown, caught two passes for 39 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals.
Yet, Bryant felt the need to add that 无毛视频淛uju is no where near better than me.无毛视频�
The post was later deleted, but Bryant failed to report to the team无毛视频檚 practice facility Monday for a meeting, instead calling off sick.
The next day, Mike Tomlin said he would meet with Bryant and 无毛视频渞ain down my judgment and we无毛视频檒l move forward.无毛视频�
But apparently the meeting did not go well and Bryant was suspended, meaning that at the halfway point of the season, following Sunday无毛视频檚 game and into the bye week, Bryant will have only 18 catches for 234 yards and one touchdown.
In 2015, before sitting out last season with a drug suspension, Bryant caught 50 passes for 765 yards and six touchdowns.
Two weeks ago, after a 2-for-27 performance in Kansas City, someone leaked to national media that Bryant wanted to be traded. He was asked about it Wednesday after practice.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 going to see what happens,无毛视频� Bryant said. 无毛视频淩ight now I无毛视频檓 here, so I无毛视频檓 going to play hard and finish strong and see what happens. That无毛视频檚 all I can focus on right now.无毛视频�
Tomlin said Tuesday that Bryant will not be traded.
无毛视频淚f I无毛视频檓 not traded, I无毛视频檓 going to work my butt off here and whatever happens, happens,无毛视频� Bryant said. 无毛视频淵ou无毛视频檙e not going to hear me complaining or nothing anymore. I无毛视频檓 just going to be quiet and let everything fall into place.无毛视频�
As for social media, Bryant said, 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 going to stay off it myself. You see what happens when I get on there. I attract a lot of attention. I learned from it, it is what it is and I无毛视频檓 going to move on from it.无毛视频�
NO TROUBLE FOR BEN
On Tuesday, Tomlin said Bryant 无毛视频渋s a good guy to work with in the building, and has been.无毛视频� Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger took it a step further.
无毛视频淵ou never hear him complain,无毛视频� Roethlisberger said. 无毛视频淚 don无毛视频檛 hear him on the field crying, complaining, wanting the ball, throwing his hands up, not running hard, doing things like that. You see him blocking when other guys catch the ball or during runs. I grab him on the sideline and talk to him about the pictures, like I do with a lot of guys. He无毛视频檚 very engaging, so that无毛视频檚 why all of this is kind of a shock to me.无毛视频�
Roethlisberger said it won无毛视频檛 affect the team无毛视频檚 morale or chemistry in the locker room, and explained why Bryant is being treated differently than, say, LeGarrette Blount, who was released after causing trouble during and after a Game 11 win at Tennessee in 2014.
无毛视频淭he LeGarrette thing, I think he walked off the field during a game,无毛视频� Roethlisberger said. 无毛视频淢artavis is out there busting his butt. You watch on Le无毛视频橵eon (Bell)无毛视频檚 long play, he无毛视频檚 downfield blocking. He无毛视频檚 blocking for AB in the Kansas City game. You hear frustrations when he goes home and gets on social media, but here in the locker room we don无毛视频檛 see any of that and so that无毛视频檚 why it无毛视频檚 maybe treated a little differently.无毛视频�
Bryant was coming off an excellent week of practice in which he ran down two long bombs in one practice that impressed teammates. But in the game, Bryant lost track of a deep pass from Roethlisberger late in the third quarter and the catchable ball landed over Bryant无毛视频檚 outside shoulder as he was looking inside.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e had a couple deep balls that were just missed,无毛视频� Roethlisberger said. 无毛视频淲hether it无毛视频檚 me overthrowing him, whether it无毛视频檚 the Chicago game where he kind of slows down a little bit, this last game where he doesn无毛视频檛 see the ball out of my hand, the plays are there to be had. We just have to make 无毛视频檈m.无毛视频�
But not until Nov. 12 at Indianapolis, after the Steelers come out of their post-Detroit bye week.
HUNTER UP
Justin Hunter replaced Bryant on the offensive unit Wednesday. He joined Brown, Eli Rogers and Smith-Schuster, who had been in the concussion protocol after taking a hit in Sunday无毛视频檚 game. Bryant was on the scout team.
Missing the practice were RG David DeCastro (not injury related), RT Marcus Gilbert (hamstring), TE Vance McDonald (knee) and DL Stephon Tuitt (back).
QUOTABLE
Roethlisberger on whether Bryant无毛视频檚 foul-up was a product of a young player growing up and communicating primarily on social media instead of face-to-face:
无毛视频淧robably. That无毛视频檚 one of the reasons I don无毛视频檛 do social media. Not too many good things come from it that I无毛视频檝e seen. I like to show pictures of my family and things like that. You can get caught up in a game with someone who sits behind a phone or computer. They call them trolls, or whatever they call them. There are a lot of things you can get caught up in if you无毛视频檙e not careful, so I think the best thing is to stay away from it.无毛视频�