Getty Former Raiders WR Antonio Brown.
Despite having a number of high-profile meltdowns with multiple teams and many off-the-field issues, Antonio Brown has continued to get chances in the NFL. The start of his downfall was when he joined the Raiders in 2019 and caused a stink due to the helmet the league was requiring him to wear. What followed was a number of big controversies that ended with his release after general manager Mike Mayock fined him.
This season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers employed him and he was mostly staying out of trouble. However, he was starting to unravel in recent weeks after a personal chef of his accused him of using a fake vaccination card. The NFL suspended him but the Buccaneers kept him around.
Brown has long been considered a ticking time bomb due to his previous antics and that bomb has finally exploded. During the Buccaneers’ Week 17 game against the New York Jets, the wide receiver was irked by something and decided to take off his jersey, throw his gloves and undershirt into the stands and then run to the locker room.
I’ve never seen a player literally lose his mind the way Antonio Brown just did mid game.
We’ve heard about Vontae Davis retiring in the locker room at halftime but this is mid-game.
While it was a shocking thing to see, Raiders fans weren’t surprised in the slightest.
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Raiders Fans Pile on AB
One place Brown will find no sympathy whatsoever is in the Raiders fan base. He never even played a game for them. At least with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Buccaneers, he was able to make an impact on the field. Raiders fans were pumped to see him throw his career away.
Hall of Fame to AB:
Raiders win… Chiefs lose, & Antonio Brown wigs out 😂
Awwww yeah!
Its a great day in football
Raiders win, Chiefs lose, and Antonio Brown is out of the NFL.
Brown could’ve gone down as one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history but has now alienated four of the biggest fan bases in the league. Considering the Raiders gave up draft picks for Brown only to never have him play, it’s hard to fault them for taking pleasure in seeing him make an idiot of himself.
Brown Cut by Buccaneers
Brown was already on thin ice due to the vaccination incident. Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians previously dealt with the wide receiver in Pittsburgh and is familiar with his antics. The only reason he got a shot in Tampa Bay was due to his relationship with quarterback Tom Brady. The Hall of Famer couldn’t save Brown this time as Arians announced after the game that the wide receiver is no longer on the team.
Video: Bruce Arians announcing Antonio Brown is no longer a Buc, a week before the playoffs start
According to Chris Myers, Brown ran out of the stadium and had a police car take him to the airport to fly away from the team.
security said Antonio Brown ran out of stadium shirtless &!into a police car to be escorted to flight by himself out of town away from the buccaneers!
this after he tore off his jersey during game threw his shirt in the stands freaking out
#bucs #BucsVsJets
It’s unclear what set Brown off to take such drastic measures but given his track record, nothing is off the table. He’s still supremely talented so it remains possible that another team gives him a chance but this feels like his curtain call. If a Super Bowl-winning team with Brady as the leader can’t keep him under control, there won’t be another team that can.
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