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Boston kept a close eye on Tom Brady’s first Super Bowl appearance for a team other than the Patriots, and it was not the only other NFL city with ties to this year’s Buccaneers.
The Steelers have a lot of connections to Tampa. Bucs head coach Bruce Arians has been the Steelers’ attacking coordinator for five seasons, while Byron Leftwich, Larry Foote and Antwan Randle-El, Bucs assistants, all played for the team. So does the defensive pack, Steve McLendon and cornerback Ross Cockrell, but the active player with the deepest history in Pittsburgh is probably the wide receiver, Antonio Brown.
Brown played nine seasons for the Steelers, but his tenure with the team ended at the end of the 2018 season. Brown forced an exchange from the team after missing training sessions, criticizing full-back Ben Roethlisberger and making life generally unhappy. Nevertheless, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert had a positive reaction to Sunday’s victory.
“I was glad AB could win a Super Bowl trophy,” Colbert told WDVE Pittsburgh Tribune Review. “It’s unique. Once a player does that, there is nothing else you can compare. When you get the first one, it’s unique and you remember it. Those [ex-Steelers], I know they enjoyed it. It was a special group. And we are happy for everyone. ”
Brown’s behavior with the Raiders resulted in a short stay with them and accusations of sexual assault brought his time with the Patriots to an end after one game. He also served out an eight-game suspension this season to open the season, and the distance it all offers from his time at the Steelers may have made it easier for Colbert to find a smile on Sunday.