Getty Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown taking his helmet off after a play in an NFL game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown has made headlines throughout his NFL career and that continued in the Week 17 matchup versus the New York Jets.
Things were getting chippy between the two teams late into the third quarter as the Jets led the Bucs 24-10, when Brown started getting vocal on the sideline with his teammates about some apparent frustration.
That frustration, which The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported on January 3, 2022 via the Bucs Radio network, was the result of Brown getting benched, which then ignited a wild scene.
Things quickly reached a boiling point when Brown started stripping off his football gear and his shirt as he was walking off the field. Several Bucs teammates, including fellow wideout Mike Evans, tried to convince him to stay on the sideline, but Brown rejected those attempts.
In what proved to be a wild scene, Brown then started chucking his gear into the stands as he waved goodbye to the fans in MetLife Stadium.
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Bruce Arians After the Game: Brown ‘Is No Longer a Buc’
Brown’s antics were so unprofessional and surprising that it led to former three-time Super Bowl champion Daryl ‘Moose’ Johnston to suggest on the FOX broadcast that the decision is clear for Tampa Bay: “They have to move on.”
Antonio Brown just took jersey and gear off and threw it into crowd. Celebrating and ran to the locker room. No idea what is going on.
Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians initially told Peter King when Tampa first signed Brown in 2020 that he would have a zero-tolerance policy: “He screws up one time, he’s gone. I don’t think he will because he wants to play.”
Arians was challenged on his stance in late November 2021 when Brown got into some trouble with the NFL over a falsely represented COVID-19 vaccination card. He was suspended for three games and his future in Tampa Bay looked very much in doubt, though the Bucs did allow him to return in Week 16.
However, during his January 3 postgame press conference, Arians followed through on his word, telling reporters that Brown “is no longer a Buc” after the on-field incident, per The Athletic’s Greg Auman.
Jets Lose a Brutal Game
Getting back to the Week 16 contest, the Jets still had a chance to upset Tom Brady and the Bucs, but in vintage fashion, they left far too much time on the clock.
The 44-year old future Pro Football Hall of Famer calmly and methodically worked his way down the field, as he has done countless times during his career.
With the Jets playing a lackadaisical soft defense they allowed Brady to hit wide receiver Cyril Grayson for the 33-yard game-winning touchdown. Then to ensure the Jets would have to score a touchdown to win, the Bucs turned to ex-Jets running back Le’Veon Bell on the two-point conversion to go up four points, 28-24.
That ended up being the final score and the Bucs escaped MetLife Stadium with the victory and kept their hopes at a No. 1 seed in the NFC alive.
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