Caitlin Clark blocks controversial NFL star Antonio Brown on social media after he made rude posts about her

‘How do men not realise how wildly inappropriate this is?’ one person on X responds to Brown’s posts

Caitlin Clark has blocked Antonio Brown on social media after he made multiple offensive posts about her.

The former NFL star took to X – formerly known as Twitter – on Thursday to reveal that Clark had blocked him on the social media platform. As he shared the screenshot of her X profile, which indicated that she’d blocked him, he still went on to mock her, writing: “Cracker of the Day, blocked by Cousin It,” referring to a character in The Addams Family movies and TV series.

Brown’s post came after he made several inappropriate remarks about Clark, who has made headlines through the NCAA season and was just drafted by Indiana Fever in the WNBA.

On 17 April, he first sparked outrage when he criticised her appearance in a tweet. He then continued to make remarks about Clark, sharing a tweet on 18 April mocking her appearance during the WNBA draft on 15 April.

People on X have gone on to condemn Brown over the inappropriate jabs at the 22-year-old athlete.

“Dude’s almost 40 commenting on a girl fresh out of college,” one wrote, while another added: “How disgusting a 40-year-old man talking like that about a 20-year-old girl.”

“How do men not realise how wildly inappropriate this is?! Ew,” a third added.

Fans also defended Clark’s decision to block the former wide receiver on social media.

“I would have blocked this dude too; he’s mad, disrespectful, and children look up to him... He’s unprofessional, he keeps on, he won’t have a career,” one wrote.

According to someone else, Brown “deserved it”.

This isn’t the first time that Brown has sparked controversy. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers star stunned his coach and fellow teammates in January 2022 when he stripped to his bare chest and left the field during the third quarter of an NFL clash with the New York Jets. Brown’s contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was officially terminated after that game.

In 2022, Brown was faced with misdemeanor battery charges following an apparent domestic incident at a Tampa home. A police report said Brown threw a shoe at a woman, attempted to evict her from the home and locked her out, after a verbal altercation in November 2022. However, after a complete review of all available evidence, charges against him were dropped.

“Based on the facts and circumstances known to both agencies from extensive on-scene interviews by law enforcement of the alleged victim, it was determined that probable cause existed to issue an arrest warrant on one count of misdemeanor first degree battery,” the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office said.

Brown’s remarks about Clark also come after an Indianapolis reporter apologised for an interaction with the basketball star during her introductory press conference after the WNBA draft. Before he asked her a question, journalist Gregg Doyel flashed a heart symbol with his hands - a gesture that Clark has become known to flash to her family in the stands at her University of Iowa Hawkeyes games. The famously temperamental wide receiver was then seen smiling as he was driven away from the MetLife stadium, despite Bucs coach Bruce Arians claiming that he is no longer a part of the NFL franchise.

“Yeah, I do that at my family after every game,” Clark then explained, after the reporter made the heart gesture. As Doyel said back: “Start doing it to me and we’ll get along just fine,” Clark noticeably had a blank expression on her face.

After fans criticised him for creating another “awkward” moment that women in professional sports often have to face, he penned a public apology that was published online in the Indianapolis Star, titled: “Caitlin Clark, I’m so sorry. On Wednesday I was part of the problem.”

“I’m devastated to realise I’m part of the problem. I screwed up Wednesday during my first interaction with No 1 overall draft pick Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever,” he began.

He described himself as “another insensitive man” and said he “offended” both Clark and her family. Doyel then shared that a woman whom he “deeply respects” later informed him: “But Caitlin Clark is a young woman, and you don’t talk to a young woman the same as you would a young man.”

“After years of being so sure I was on the right side of these arguments, I was now on the wrong side, and for the oldest reason known to man and woman: Ignorance,” Doyel wrote, adding: “After going through denial, and then anger - I’m on the wrong side of this? Me??? - I now realise what I said and how I said it was wrong, wrong, wrong. I mean it was just wrong.”

Following the WNBA draft, Clark also ignited a debate about pay disparity in women’s sports after it was revealed that her rookie contract with the Fever is expected to be worth $338,056 over the course of four years - earning just $76,535 in her rookie season this summer.