Brown and Big Ben Haven't Been at OTAs

[BFritz21]

They're voluntary, but you'd still expect your quarterback and star receiver to be at OTAs.

Is it normal for them to skip, or is there something brewing in Pittsburgh where maybe they're just fed up with Bell or the entire organization or what?

You'd think that stories would mention it if it's normal and they skip OTAs a lot, but this story doesn't say anything about it:

Quote:Getty Images
After the Steelers opened up OTAs without running back Le'Veon Bell last week, wide receiver Antonio Brown offered some advice to his teammate.

Bell is looking for a new contract and Brown said that “you can’t make anything better without showing up.” If Bell had shown up for work at the last few practices, however, he wouldn’t have found Brown there.

Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Brown has not been in attendance since taking part in the first two days of OTAs. He’s had some company on the absentee list. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was there the first day, but has not been around since then.

“It’s tough, you wish they were here,” guard David DeCastro said. “It’s a team event, but it’s not real football yet. It’s one of those things, you just look at it as an older guy, just get in shape. It would be great if they were out here, but at the same time we’ll be all right. I think they’ll definitely be all right.”

The practices are voluntary and neither Brown nor Roethlisberger are alone among veteran players around the league who choose not to show up for every session, so DeCastro’s shrug of a response isn’t much of a surprise. It does make advice centered around showing “you want to get better and show guys you’re serious” a bit harder to take.

DeCastro's quote makes it sound like he doesn't think that it's that big of a deal or at least not his place to say anything, but the quote in the last paragraph of "it does make advice centered around showing “you want to get better and show guys you’re serious” a bit harder to take," does make it sound like there's trouble, especially since the media usually kisses the Steelers' asses, and kind of sounds like it was a quote from a player that they're just not naming.