Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a silent predator that doesn’t strike with fangs or claws but with a gradual relentless dissolution of everything that makes them who they are. It begins as whispers rather than screams! Each ‘granite chin’ moment, each ‘walked through that shot’ commentary, each ‘quick return from concussion’ decision deposits another withdrawal slip against the brain’s balance. Headaches that arrive uninvited and refuse to leave, like an opponent who’s slipped past your guard. Dizziness that transforms defeats familiarity. Memories that once stood firm now flutter away like cornerman’s instructions between rounds.

The real battle doesn’t happen not under spotlights, but in quiet living rooms where former champions struggle to remember the names of battles they once dominated. Just ask guys like Georges St-Pierre, Fabricio Werdum, Shane Carwin, and Stipe Miocic and you will know the horror! That is why physical sports like MMA and football, where athletes take regular blows and concussions, are so dangerous. Joe Rogan, of course, is famously vocal about raising awareness about the disorder. So when former NFL star Antonio Brown, whom many think has CTE, came on the JRE podcast, the discussion couldn’t ignore the 2006 film that brought CTE into the mainstream discourse and consciousness.

“The reality of head trauma is something that we’re, like, as a society, we’re just embracing over the last 10-20 years. Like it wasn’t for that concussion movie, I think that opened up a lot of people’s eyes. That Will Smith movie and the story of that doctor. Of him finding how many people have, like, significant brain trauma from football,” Rogan said on episode #2286 of the JRE podcast.

The ‘Will Smith’ film Rogan is talking about is about the 2015 film, titled ‘Concussion’, which tells the story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, who, along with his team, discovered the prevalence of CTE in former football players. Brown, of course, famously ripped off his jersey and stormed off the field during a game against the Jets in 2022. Fans attributed this to CTE, which many feel may stem from a nasty concussion he got in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2016 as part of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

‘AB’ has vociferously denied this, pointing out CTE cannot be diagnosed while a person is alive. Hilariously, Brown isn’t above making fun of the disorder, and sells T-shirts with CTESPN, in a clever amalgamation of the sports network and CTE. But, according to the former Buccaneer, he is serious. He just wants to raise awareness about it!

“Yes, so, for me, I try to use it because this is a serious standpoint. A lot of ex-players and players have actually been diagnosed, and you know, passed away from CTE. So for me, you know, on a serious point of, you know, bringing awareness, and bringing, you know, a reality standpoint of what athletes and people fighting or anyone in their daily lives are facing from head trauma,” Brown told Rogan.

Of course, since Brown has been out of the NFL he has been out of the limelight. This may make some fans curious! What has he been up to?

Antonio Brown still wants to play in the NFL

After being fired by the Buccaneers for conduct and behavioral issues, Antonio Brown was not offered a contract by any team in the NFL. CTE or no CTE, the former Steelers player and his increasingly erratic behavior even before the infamous Jets game was concerning for fans. Brown had previously pled no contest to assault and burglary charges in 2020, accused of sending multiple intimidating texts to women and found guilty of multiple violations of the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy.

But his mid-game walk-off seems to have been the last straw and no NFL team was willing to risk a player as unpredictable as ‘AB’. The wide receiver retired from football in early 2023, but ‘unretired’ a month later to play football for the Albany Empire. But that never materialized and ‘AB’ retired again in mid-2023.

Last November, Brown came out of retirement again and even offered to play for the Steelers free of charge. But as you can imagine, the team hasn’t taken him up on his offer. Now the former player seems to be on a media tour to promote and raise awareness, which some think may be part of a new career path, perhaps a podcast. If that is the case, going on Rogan, the biggest podcast in the world makes sense. What do you think about the prevalence of CTE in sports?