Antonio Brown would probably love for 2019 to end after everything he has been through this year, and it all got started when he appeared on the new singing competition show for Fox, The Masked Singer. In fact, Brown was the first contestant on the show when it premiered in January.
The former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver was dressed up as a hippo and performed the song My Prerogative. Brown was eliminated from the competition, which meant he had to reveal his identity to the entire world. Before he revealed his identity, a video was shown that featured Brown as the hippo that revealed different clues about who was behind the mask.
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The interesting thing about Brown being on The Masked Singer is the timing of it. It was on the heels of him having a major fallout with the Pittsburgh Steelers and it led to him demanding a trade. Brown was eventually traded to the Oakland Raiders only to be released by the team before the start of the season.
From the field to the stage! 🏈 @AB84 was the first reveal of the season. Did you guess Antonio Brown was #HippoMask? #TheMaskedSinger pic.twitter.com/oUbRJS6I3h
— The Masked Singer (@MaskedSingerFOX) January 3, 2019
But going back to the Steelers, why did Brown want to be traded in the first place? It has to do with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as he and Brown got into an altercation which led to Brown being benched for the final game of the season for not practicing that week.
“Brown has been creating a lot of drama for the Steelers over the past 12 months, but the Steelers have been putting up with it, because he’s one of the best receivers in the league. Despite missing Week 17, Brown still finished the year with 104 receptions for 1,297 yards and an NFL-leading 15 touchdown catches,” John Breech of CBS Sports wrote at the time.
After Brown’s stint with the Raiders was done, he signed a one-year contract with the New England Patriots. He played in one game for the team and recorded four receptions for 56 yards and one touchdown in a 43-0 victory over the Miami Dolphins. However, Brown was cut by the team one week after the Week 2 game due to sexual assault and sexual misconduct allegations.
Brown has made appearances on different shows this year, but did The Masked Singer set everything off for him? It’s unlikely, but compared to what he’s going through right now, Brown was living in simpler times.
