The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have officially terminated the contract of Antonio Brown, the team announced Thursday.
Here is what the team had to say in an official statement released Thursday.
"While Antonio did receive treatment on his ankle and was listed on the injury report the week leading up to last Sunday's game, he was cleared to play by our medical team prior to the start of the game and at no point during the game did he indicate to our medical personnel that he could not play.
"We have attempted, multiple times throughout this week, to schedule an evaluation by an outside orthopedic specialist, yet Antonio has not complied. Maintaining the health and wellness of our players is of the utmost importance to our organization."
Brown's final shot in the NFL was blown to pieces at halftime of Sunday's game against the New York Jets, when the wide receiver was visibly upset, leading to Brown taking off his shoulder pads and leaving MetLife Stadium in a dramatic fashion. To make things worse, Brown released a series of text messages Thursday in which he called out Tom Brady, Bruce Arians and Alex Guerrero.
In the texts, Brown asked Guerrero for $50,000 since the two will no longer work together. Guerrero said he understands and was willing to send Brown the money. The message also contained Brown's routing and account numbers which Brown later deleted.
We now know that the reason behind Brown's wild antics in New York was due to his complaining towards head coach Bruce Arians, who claims was forcing Brown to get back into the game despite a nagging ankle injury. Brown also sent out an exchange between him and Arians in which the two discus if Brown is ready to go for Week 17. Brown mentioned his ankle injury in the message despite Arians claiming he knew nothing about it.
Despite his animosity towards Arians, Brown said his teammates have all been good to him, including Brady.
The Bucs GM Jason Licht told ESPN that his agent requested the incentives on Brown's contract, worth north of $2 million this season to be guaranteed. The team declined his request.
Licht said Brown did not tell anyone on the Bucs medical staff on Sunday about his ankle bothering him before the game or during it.
Follow Jasper Jones on Twitter: @jonesj2342
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