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Steelers receiver Martavis Bryant is finding out the hard way that Instagram and sports reporters may not be the best outlets for venting his frustrations.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Wednesday afternoon that Bryant has been demoted to the Steelers' scout team in practice, replaced by fellow receiver Justin Hunter:
Martavis Bryant demoted to scout team in Wednesday's practice. Affects his chances to play Sunday at Detroit. OG... https://t.co/1sjrJLx3dV
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) October 25, 2017
Additionally, Bryant has stated he will not be playing Sunday, citing "social media" as the reason why.
Martavis Bryant said he's not playing Sunday. Asked why? 'Social media," he said. https://t.co/zWdJY92dZs
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) October 25, 2017
This stems, of course, from Bryant's outburst on the social media platform Instagram Sunday night when chided by a fellow Instagram user. A week after repeatedly refuting that he has asked the Steelers for a trade, he has openly indicated that to be his desire if his playing time and targets don't increase.
Bryant has 234 yards on 18 catches in 2017, and has seen his snap counts decrease as rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster has quickly acclimated himself to the Steelers' offense -- and endeared himself to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the team's fan base.