Former NFL Receiver Derrick Mason Says Antonio Brown Has ‘Burned Bridges’ (Exclusive)

With Antonio Brown facing an uncertain future in the NFL, there are many that believe he will not be on a roster for the remainder of the 2019 season. There is also a scenario in which he misses time in 2020 as well. However, 15-year NFL veteran Derrick Mason actually sees a scenario in which Brown makes his ultimate return to the field in search of a Super Bowl ring.

Speaking with Pop Culture exclusively, the former Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans wideout shared his thoughts on Brown’s situation and whether or not he will be suiting up in the NFL again. Additionally, Mason explained that these decisions being made by Brown may feel great at the moment, but they will be replaced by sadness.

“He’s gonna regret that he went through all of this,” Mason said. “It’s all fun, it’s all great when you are in the midst of it, when you’re still playing, and you’re sorta, you know, bucking the system and they’re still paying you, and you get to say what you wanna say ’cause you’re producing. It’s all fun then. But the minute it gets all stripped away, and you gotta sit there and watch people, it doesn’t come… it’s not fun then. It’s a humbling experience and hopefully, through all of this, that’s what it is for him.”

As Mason explains, getting paid and spending time on the field is truly fun, but not being able to play brings about loneliness. He believes that Brown could be facing one of these humbling experiences, which could result in him returning to the football field. Although he will have to prove that his recent apology to the New England Patriots was genuine.

Additionally, the former Ravens receiver believes that there are no people in Brown’s corner at this point in time that are telling him to stop posting on social media or creating headlines. Instead, he has a group that is simply telling him “yes” at all times. These are the ones that think it’s great that Brown is “bucking the system” as Mason says.

“I truly don’t think he has anyone in his corner telling him, ‘Hey, listen, man, this is not the way to go. You need to change some things in your life.’ Because if that was, if he did, then the situation in Pittsburgh wouldn’t happen. The situation in Oakland wouldn’t happen. The situation in New England, of all places, wouldn’t have happened.”

Will Brown return to the league? At this point, it appears more likely, especially after Brown apologized to the New England Patriots. He is still awaiting a verdict from the NFL, but that decision could be coming soon. If so, it’s likely that Brown will land on an NFL roster once again.

Mason agrees that the current free agent receiver will likely be back on the field in the near future. He’s simply too talented for teams to pass up that opportunity. The former NFL receiver in Mason sees a team giving Brown an opportunity. Although he does have some concerns about the lasting effect of the past few months.

“No, but what he is doing,” Mason said, “is he’s burning a lot of bridges behind him. And those are bridges you can’t rebuild. Now, will he ever play again? Probably so, ’cause his talent says that he should be playing. But the minute that he has one of these outbursts, as he did in New England when he decided to send a text, teams are gonna be done.”

(Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty)