Bryant talks way into a 1-game suspension
PITTSBURGH 鈥� Martavis Bryant has officially become a distraction.
The Steelers鈥� No. 2 wide receiver 鈥� whether by representation, by girlfriend, and/or by his own social-media feeds this past weekend 鈥� has talked his way into a suspension for Sunday鈥檚 game against the Detroit Lions.
鈥淚鈥檓 not playing Sunday, which is fine,鈥� said Bryant. 鈥淚鈥檓 not tripping or nothing. It is what it is.鈥�
Bryant, of course, was 鈥渢ripping鈥� Sunday night after catching only one pass for three yards in the Steelers鈥� win over the Cincinnati Bengals. After the game Bryant, posted on Instagram that the Steelers need to 鈥済ive me what I want and y鈥檃ll can have juju and who ever else.鈥�
JuJu Smith-Schuster, the team鈥檚 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 鈥淛uju is no where near better than me.鈥�
The post was later deleted, but Bryant failed to report to the team鈥檚 practice facility Monday for a meeting, instead calling off sick.
The next day, Mike Tomlin said he would meet with Bryant and 鈥渞ain down my judgment and we鈥檒l move forward.鈥�
But apparently the meeting did not go well and Bryant was suspended, meaning that at the halfway point of the season, following Sunday鈥檚 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.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to see what happens,鈥� Bryant said. 鈥淩ight now I鈥檓 here, so I鈥檓 going to play hard and finish strong and see what happens. That鈥檚 all I can focus on right now.鈥�
Tomlin said Tuesday that Bryant will not be traded.
鈥淚f I鈥檓 not traded, I鈥檓 going to work my butt off here and whatever happens, happens,鈥� Bryant said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not going to hear me complaining or nothing anymore. I鈥檓 just going to be quiet and let everything fall into place.鈥�
As for social media, Bryant said, 鈥淚鈥檓 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鈥檓 going to move on from it.鈥�
NO TROUBLE FOR BEN
On Tuesday, Tomlin said Bryant 鈥渋s a good guy to work with in the building, and has been.鈥� Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger took it a step further.
鈥淵ou never hear him complain,鈥� Roethlisberger said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 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鈥檚 very engaging, so that鈥檚 why all of this is kind of a shock to me.鈥�
Roethlisberger said it won鈥檛 affect the team鈥檚 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.
鈥淭he LeGarrette thing, I think he walked off the field during a game,鈥� Roethlisberger said. 鈥淢artavis is out there busting his butt. You watch on Le鈥橵eon (Bell)鈥檚 long play, he鈥檚 downfield blocking. He鈥檚 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鈥檛 see any of that and so that鈥檚 why it鈥檚 maybe treated a little differently.鈥�
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鈥檚 outside shoulder as he was looking inside.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had a couple deep balls that were just missed,鈥� Roethlisberger said. 鈥淲hether it鈥檚 me overthrowing him, whether it鈥檚 the Chicago game where he kind of slows down a little bit, this last game where he doesn鈥檛 see the ball out of my hand, the plays are there to be had. We just have to make 鈥檈m.鈥�
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鈥檚 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鈥檚 foul-up was a product of a young player growing up and communicating primarily on social media instead of face-to-face:
鈥淧robably. That鈥檚 one of the reasons I don鈥檛 do social media. Not too many good things come from it that I鈥檝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鈥檙e not careful, so I think the best thing is to stay away from it.鈥�