Antonio Tavaris Brown Sr. (born July 10, 1988), nicknamed "AB", is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. During his first nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Brown developed a reputation as one of the greatest receivers of his era, but his career was also marked by various controversies.
Brown played college football for the Central Michigan Chippewas, earning first-team All-American honors as a punt returner and winning MAC Special Teams Player of the Year twice between 2008 and 2009. He was selected by the Steelers in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL draft. With Pittsburgh, Brown led the league twice in receiving yards, twice in receptions, and once in receiving touchdowns. He also earned seven Pro Bowl selections, including six consecutive, and four consecutive first-team All-Pro selections.
Amid conflict with the Steelers, Brown was traded to the Oakland Raiders in 2019, but was released ahead of the season due to several off-the-field incidents. He later signed with the New England Patriots, appearing in one game before being released amid a sexual assault investigation. Brown returned to the NFL midway through the 2020 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he was a member of the team that won Super Bowl LV. He was released near the end of the following season after leaving the field during a game.
In 2023, Brown bought a majority stake in the Albany Empire of the National Arena League (NAL); the team ceased operations later that year.
Brown is the son of "Touchdown" Eddie Brown and Adrianne Moss. Brown's father played as a wide receiver for the Albany Firebirds in the Arena Football League, and was named the best player in the league's history in 2006.
Brown attended Miami Norland High School in Miami, Florida, where he played football. In football, Brown played running back, quarterback, wide receiver, and punt returner for the Vikings. He was a two-time Class 6A all-state selection and was also named North Athlete of the Year at 2005 Miami-Dade Gridiron Classic. Coming out of high school, Brown applied to Florida State University. His admission was denied over academic concerns.
After attempting to attend Alcorn State University, he decided to enroll at North Carolina Tech Prep. Playing in just five games at quarterback, Brown passed for 1,247 yards and 11 touchdowns, while rushing for 451 yards and 13 touchdowns. Once he finished his lone season at North Carolina Tech Prep, he received a scholarship to play at Florida International University, but he was expelled before the season for an altercation with security. Brown then began reaching out to wide receivers coach Butch Jones at West Virginia University, since he had been highly recruited by him. After learning that Jones had left West Virginia to become the head coach at Central Michigan University, Brown enrolled at the school and started his college football career as a walk-on freshman.
Brown attended and played college football for the Central Michigan Chippewas from 2007 to 2009.
Brown began attending Central Michigan University in 2007 after wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni told him he could fly to Michigan and try out for the team as a walk-on wide receiver. Transitioning from the quarterback position in high school to wide receiver in college was not that difficult for him, and after a few weeks, Central Michigan coaches offered him a scholarship. Brown had difficulty adjusting to the college lifestyle, and being on time for meetings and practice. Azzanni and his wife helped him get situated and into an established routine, and he soon became like a part of their family. He made his collegiate debut against the Kansas Jayhawks on September 1. He had four receptions for 23 receiving yards in the 52–7 loss. In the next week's game against the Toledo Rockets, he had nine receptions for 105 receiving yards and his first collegiate touchdown, a six-yard pass from Dan LeFevour, in the 52–31 victory. On October 6, against the Ball State Cardinals, he had six receptions for 43 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown to go along with a nine-yard rushing touchdown in the 58–38 victory. On November 23, against the Akron Zips, he had 15 receptions for 174 yards in the 35–32 victory. The Chippewas finished with an 8–5 record, won the MAC, and qualified for a bowl game. In the 2007 Motor City Bowl against the Purdue Boilermakers, he had four receptions for 94 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 51–48 loss. During his first season at Central Michigan, Brown played in 14 games. He played well enough to win the Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year and was All-Conference as a returner. For his freshman season, he had 102 receptions for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns. His 102 receptions led the Mid-American Conference in 2007.
Brown started every game during his sophomore season in 2008. In the third game of the season, against the Ohio Bobcats, he had 10 receptions for 78 receiving yards to go along with a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown in the 31–28 victory. On October 11, against the Temple Owls, he had three receptions for 33 yards and a season-high two touchdown receptions. The next week, against the Western Michigan Broncos, he had 10 receptions for 113 yards and threw a two-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter of the 38–28 victory. On November 1, against the Indiana Hoosiers, he had seven receptions for 138 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 37–34 victory. On November 28, while playing at the Eastern Michigan Eagles, he had seven receptions for a season-high 172 yards and a touchdown. The Chippewas finished with an 8–4 record and qualified for the 2008 Motor City Bowl. In the bowl game against the FAU Owls, he had 11 receptions for 92 receiving yards in the 24–21 loss. For the season, Brown hauled in 93 receptions for 998 yards and seven touchdowns. He led the conference with 410 punt return yards and 791 kick return yards, and he also led the nation with an average of 20.5 yards per punt return.
After a slow start to the season in a 19–6 loss against the Arizona Wildcats, Brown had ten receptions for 71 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown against the Michigan State Spartans. In addition, he completed a 24-yard pass and recorded 150 net kickoff return yards in the 29–27 victory for the Chippewas first triumph over the Spartans since 1992. In the season's third game against the Alcorn State Braves, he had a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter of the 48–0 victory. Against the Akron Zips on September 26, 2009, Brown had nine receptions for 89 receiving yards and a season-high two receiving touchdowns in the 48–21 victory. On October 3, against the Buffalo Bulls, he had six receptions for 112 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 20–13 victory. In the next game, against the Eastern Michigan Eagles, he had four receptions for 110 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the 56–8 victory. Over the next two games, both victories over the Western Michigan Broncos and the Bowling Green Falcons, he recorded his fourth and fifth consecutive game with a receiving touchdown. On November 11, he had 13 receptions for 129 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the 56–28 victory over the Toledo Rockets. In the following game against the Ball State Cardinals, he had 11 receptions for 170 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 35–3 victory. In the MAC Championship against the Ohio Bobcats, he had eight receptions for 66 receiving yards in the 20–10 victory.
In his last collegiate game on January 6, 2010, against the Troy Trojans in the GMAC Bowl, Brown had a season-high 13 receptions for 178 yards in the 44–41 victory. He finished 2009 with single-season bests of 110 receptions (also a school record), 1,198 receiving yards, and nine touchdowns. Brown contributed to a historic season for Central Michigan. The team set a school record for wins with 12. For his career at Central Michigan, he had a school-record 305 receptions, (including the top three seasons with the most receptions in school history), 3,199 receiving yards (fourth all-time), and 22 touchdowns (third all-time). On January 7, he announced he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2010 NFL draft.