Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Wednesday a "lack of communication" was central to wide receiver Antonio Brown missing the team's Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals and confirmed there's been no formal trade request by the NFL's two-time receiving yards leader.

Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette provided Tomlin's comments from his season-ending press conference following the team's 9-6-1 campaign in 2018.

"I heard he left the stadium, I don't confirm that," he told the media about reports the wideout exited Heinz Field at halftime of Sunday's contest.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported Tuesday the superstar receiver had requested a trade out of Pittsburgh, citing his feeling that Tomlin was "too aligned" with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

"We take his lack of presence ... as something very significant and will be handled appropriately so," the coach said Wednesday. "... Not going to speculate on trade and haven't been formally asked [by Brown to seek a deal]."

When asked whether the situation represented Brown quitting on the team, Tomlin responded: "You can call it what you want to call it."

The receiver posted a message on Twitter while Tomlin was meeting with the media:

In the wake of the press conference, Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Network believed Brown has likely played his last snap in Pittsburgh:

Tomlin's press conference capped a whirlwind week that saw Brown listed as inactive in a Week 17 win over the Bengals because of an apparent knee injury.

Bouchette and Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the seven-time Pro Bowler was not injured but was instead benched for the season finale after skipping practices during the week following a dispute with Roethlisberger.

The longtime Steelers quarterback downplayed the situation Tuesday during a radio appearance on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh (via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com), saying, "If there was a blowup or something, I sure as heck didn't see it."

"Like I said, I'm blessed to play with him and I consider him one of my closer friends," Roethlisberger said. "... I know guys that are frustrated. I think the biggest thing is, some of the guys that I've talked to, they tried to reach out to him and they haven't heard back."

In September, Brown caused a stir on social media when he tweeted "Trade me let's find out" in response to a tweet from a former Steelers staffer questioning Brown's importance to the offense compared to Roethlisberger.

The following month, it was reported the 30-year-old Miami native was the subject of two lawsuits after allegedly throwing furniture and other items off a 14th-floor balcony at his Miami apartment complex in April and nearly striking a child, per TMZ Sports.

"It has now been made public that two lawsuits containing false claims have been filed against me," Brown told reporters at the time. "The facts will soon come out that prove my innocence. My focus will remain on football and I will not let the cases serve as a distraction."

Brown finished the 2018 season with 104 catches for 1,297 yards and a career-high 15 touchdowns. He's under contract with the Steelers through 2021 with a $22.2 million cap hit in 2019.