Antonio Brown's tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came to a bizarre end on Sunday afternoon against the New York Jets, when the embattled receiver elected to remove his jersey and equipment on the visitors sideline mid-game and leave the field. A shirtless Brown waved a peace sign to the crowd before entering the MetLife Stadium tunnel.
Following the game, Bucs head coach Bruce Arians addressed the meltdown, telling reporters that Brown is no longer a member of the team. When asked to provide details on what triggered Brown's sudden outburst, Arians replied, "I'm not talking about him. He's no longer part of the Bucs."
"From what I understand, Bruce Arians and the offensive coaches told him to go into the game. At that point, Antonio Brown refused," NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport told The DA Show on Monday. "In his mind, he didn't feel right, didn't feel like he was healthy. He said, 'I'm not going.' If you don't go in, then you're basically done... They said, 'Get out of here' and essentially cut him on the sideline, leading him to shed his uniform and do all the things he did...
"This relationship had probably run its course. I was hearing things during the week about, all isn't well and there's frustration... There was frustration about where his [foot injury] was and how healthy he was. He thought it was in a different place where the team was, and how hard was he actually working. There were some questions. Frustration had been building, so this wasn't a one-time thing. This was the culmination of it, not because of it."
Brown's season hasn't been drama-free. In early December, the 33-year-old received a three-game suspension by the NFL for violating league protocols and obtaining a fake COVID-19 vaccination card. Whether or not Brown was healthy enough to continue playing, he missed eight games due to an ankle injury suffered in mid-October. He was also limited in practice this past week. In seven games played, Brown caught 42 passes for 545 receiving yards with four touchdowns.
Tampa Bay (12-4), which recently clinched its first NFC South title since 2007, will host the lowly Carolina Panthers (5-11) in a Week 18 matchup on Sunday. According to FiveThirtyEight projections, the Bucs have a 10-percent chance to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
The entire NFL conversation between Rapoport and DA can be accessed in the audio player above.
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