BY JULIA SAFRIN
On the afternoon of Wednesday, February 26, a familiar stranger was seen running on the CCHS track. While some students were oblivious to who this stranger was, turning a blind eye to sports celebrities, others knew exactly who he was: Antonio Brown.
Students quickly began to post on social media that former Steelers wide-receiver Antonio Brown was on CCHS’s campus. Brown–a Miami native and a Hollywood, Florida resident–was seen running laps on the school track after school hours. To say the least, Brown attracted lots of attention.
“I was shocked at first because I didn’t know he was here,” junior Alex Licht said. “Once I saw him, I realized that you don’t see a world-class athlete on your school’s track every day, so I needed a picture with him.”
“Once I saw him, I realized that you don’t see a world-class athlete on your school’s track every day, so I needed a picture with him.”
Junior Alex Licht
As soon as the realization hit, either coming to the conclusion themselves or by seeing various pictures and videos on their peer’s social media accounts, students flocked to see the sight. Sure enough, there was Brown running laps around the school’s track.
Running laps, however, is not the only thing he did while on the CCHS track. Like a true celebrity, Brown paused to take pictures with the various students watching him in awe from the bleachers.
“We went up to him and he told us it was chill and that we could take a picture with him,” sophomore Mackenzie Segev said.
Students were not the only ones posting on their social media accounts. Brown was also actively posting himself with CCHS students on his Instagram story, advertising his location rather than trying to maintain a low profile.
“At first, we weren’t allowed to go to the visiting bleachers to get close to him, but after some time, my friends and I walked around the track,” Licht said. “Once he saw us walking in his direction, he came up to talk to us and then asked if we wanted to be on his Instagram story.”
Despite the fact of being in awe, students could not forget the controversy that surrounds Brown. After much fighting with the National Football League (NFL), Brown was accused of raping his former trainer, Britney Taylor, in a civil lawsuit filed against him on September 10, 2019.
During the same time of the lawsuit, reports about additional accusations of sexual assault and domestic violence instances regarding Brown came out. After further altercations between his girlfriend and child and a moving truck driver, an arrest warrant was issued for Brown, who turned himself in to Broward County Jail on January 23, 2020. This was almost a month before making an appearance on the CCHS track.
“At first I didn’t really like that he was there, but you have to be open-minded to people changing and he seems to be working super hard,” sophomore Kenzie Sauer said.
“At first I didn’t really like that he was there, but you have to be open-minded to people changing and he seems to be working super hard.”
Sophomore Kenzie Sauer
For the most part, students did not feel threatened or upset that he was on school grounds.
“Although I don’t agree with any of the bad things that he has been accused of, I understand that he has also suffered extreme brain damage from playing football,” Licht said. “I also wasn’t really worried about his behavior because I was surrounded by my friends and consider school a safe place.”
Brown hasn’t been on the school’s track since February 26, but it’s safe to say his visit marked a day CCHS students will never forget.
Photo and video courtesy of Antonio Brown’s Instagram
