Everything appears to be all patched up between Pittsburgh Steelers’ WR Antonio Brown and CB Ike Taylor.
Brown, a Pro Bowl wide receiver, and Taylor, the team’s top cornerback spent the team’s off-day Monday reconciling their differences over breakfast at a local café in Pittsburgh following a pair of fights Sunday during training camp at St. Vincent College.
“We’re two highly competitive guys, so when you have the same blood type things are bound to happen,” Taylor said Tuesday. “Brothers get into it…we’re family. That’s how it is sometimes up in Latrobe -- getting tired of seeing each other.”
The two first came together midway through practice during red zone work as Taylor, with Brown fighting for possession, appeared to intercept a low-thrown ball in the end zone. Brown tried to rip the ball away and the two got up and began exchanging punches before a host of teammates rushed in.
“Testosterone level is high and that’s what happens,” Brown said. “It’s football.”
Brown and Taylor exchanged punches again after practice, going at it after the team broke its post-practice huddle. When things cooled down, Taylor had an ice bag pressed against his right eye and the two had a long post-practice discussion mediated by wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery and general manager Kevin Colbert.
“We let our emotions get the best of us, but at the end of the day, that’s my brother on and off the ield,” Brown said. “We have a good relationship with each other that goes far beyond this one incident.”
Sunday, however, wasn’t the first time Brown and Taylor tangled at training camp. The two briefly went at it during the first week of camp, but it wasn’t as heated as Sunday’s exchanges.
“I couldn’t say what it stemmed from, but it’s camp,” Brown said. “We’ve been here for about three weeks now and guys are getting aggressive and competing against each other every day.
“That’s the type of thing that happens in camp.”
Going out to breakfast helped smooth things over as Brown used a very small part of his new five-year $42 million extension to pick up the check.
“We sat down for an hour or two just to air out our differences,” Brown said. “That’s not the way we want to look for our fans and our teammates and that’s not what this organization is about.”
One thing the pair realized, as a top wide receiver and standout cornerback, is that they make each other better going against one another during practice.
“I’ve been saying since (Brown) walked onto the field that he’s special,” Taylor said. “A guy of his caliber and what he’s proven. I just watched him grow and I look at (Brown) like a little brother of mine.”
Brown admitted it’s a daily challenge to battle Taylor, who regularly matches up with the opposition’s top wide receiver.
“We’re two highly-competitive guys and sometimes the end result is a fight,” Brown said. “We definitely have to be smart because we’re not fighters. We’re football players.”
And now, from the looks of things, they appear to be on the same page.
“We’re a band of brothers,” Brown said. “We all care about each other and want the best for each other.
“It’s nothing personal. It’s just the heat of the moment.”
Follow Chuck Finder on Twitter for real-time updates from Steelers training camp @CBSSportsNFLPIT.
