Smith-Schuster tries to squash beef with Brown, has 'no hard feelings'

JuJu Smith-Schuster hopes his heated rivalry with Antonio Brown is over.

As the Pittsburgh Steelers kick off mandatory minicamp this week, their new No. 1 receiver spoke about his former teammate and their offseason feud.

"(Brown is) a role model," Smith-Schuster said, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

"In that situation, I didn't want it to end like that. I have no hard feelings against him. Obviously, if we're ever in the same room, I'm going to say 'What's up' to him. I think hatred is a huge word to use against somebody. At the end of the day, he's a great player, he comes out every day with work ethic. He worked hard. Other than that, I don't have anything toward him like that."

Brown, who got his wish and was traded to the Oakland Raiders this offseason after a controversial end to his Steelers career, called out Smith-Schuster on Twitter in April, suggesting the younger wideout didn't deserve to be named the team's MVP for the 2018 season. The 22-year-old quickly responded to Brown's tweet in an attempt to take the high road.

"I never want to be the center of attention for causing problems," Smith-Schuster added Wednesday. "I just try to stay positive as much as possible. When stuff like that goes sideways, I say what I say and then I back out and leave it at that."

Smith-Schuster, however, appeared to take a subtle shot at Brown during Pittsburgh's offseason practices, stating that the team's chemistry has been "on point" and that there isn't an individual mentality in the locker room.

The young receiver added that he's "super excited" to watch Brown and the Raiders on HBO's "Hard Knocks" this summer.