Smith-Schuster replaces Brown in Pro Bowl
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has been named to the Pro Bowl, replacing injured teammate Antonio Brown.
Smith-Schuster finished the season ranked second in the AFC and tied for sixth in the NFL with 111 receptions for 1,426 yards.
Brown led the NFL with 15 touchdown receptions, and he had 104 catches for 1,297 yards.
Brown went radio silent in the days before the Steelers’ regular-season finale against Cincinnati, in essence abandoning the club in what head coach Mike Tomlin described as its “darkest hour.”
Tomlin said Brown arrived at practice the Wednesday before the Cincinnati game reporting discomfort in his lower body. The team gave Brown the day off, and did so again the next day. Tomlin eventually sent Brown home to rest and suggested he get an MRI on the banged up knee.
When Drew Rosenhaus, Brown’s agent, reached out on the day of the game to tell Tomlin that Brown was available to play, Tomlin “drew a line in the sand” and said Brown could best serve the Steelers by cheering on the sideline.
The Pro Bowl will be played Jan. 27 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.