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Wide receiver Antonio Brown’s recent Twitter activity has fans of the Chicago Bears asking a few questions.
On March 24, the four-time All-Pro wideout “liked” an image shared by a fellow Twitter user of Brown clad in a photoshopped Bears jersey. Here’s the image:
The disgruntled former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver hasn’t played since he refused to re-enter a Week 17 game against the New York Jets.
Brown caught 87 passes for 1,028 yards (11.8 yards per reception) and eight touchdowns in 15 games and seven starts for the Bucs, and he helped the team win a Super Bowl after the 2020 season.
The Bears need wide receivers, to be sure, but would they want to add Brown? Bears Twitter had some thoughts on the matter.
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Brown’s Baggage Far Outweighs His Positives
After his antics against the Jets, it’s unclear whether Brown will play again, and at 33 (he turns 34 in July), he’s nowhere near the player he was when he led the NFL in receptions in back-to-back years (2014-15).
Walking off the field mid-game was just the latest episode in the saga of Brown, who has been involved in multiple off-the-field incidents, including a verbal altercation with former Las Vegas Raiders GM Mike Mayock, in addition to rape, sexual and personal misconduct allegations.
Tom Brady is among those who have suggested Brown needs professional help, a notion Brown refutes.
Brown was also suspended for three games last year for misleading the league about his COVID-19 vaccination status, and most recently, he made headlines for claiming he’d like to buy the Denver Broncos with rapper and recording artist Ye (formerly known as Kanye West).
The numerous issues surrounding Brown have Chicago’s fans thinking and feeling all kinds of things when seeing him in a Bears uniform — even though it’s clear the image was just a fan having some fun.
Many fans pointed out new Bears GM Ryan Poles is all about players with high character and thus, wouldn’t go near Brown:
Many others disagreed, and felt Brown’s talent outweighs his issues:
Others took a more practical approach:
While his Twitter “likes” may have gotten Bears Nation riled, Brown’s baggage is likely too heavy for Poles to want to lug around.
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Brown & Bucs Coach Bruce Arians Have Differing Accounts of Incident
After Brown walked off the field during the Bucs-Jets game, he was immediately released from the team. When asked about what happened and why he left mid-game, Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said this, via the Tampa Bay Times:
“He was very upset at halftime about who was getting targeted. … We had called for the personal group that he had played [with] the entire game, he refused to go in the game. That’s when I look back and saw him basically wave off the coach. I then went back and approached him about what was going on. [He said] ‘I ain’t playing.’ [I said] ‘What’s going on? [and he said] ‘I ain’t getting the ball.’ That’s when I said: ‘You’re done, get the ‘F’ out of here,’ and that’s the end of it.”
On the March 8 episode of The Pivot Podcast with Ryan Clark, Brown had a very different recollection and perspective on why he walked off the field, citing an injury he says Arians and company tried to get him to play through.
“Bruce Arians has to respect me as a player,” Brown told Clark. “I’m in the middle of a game, how you gonna tell me get the ‘F’ out of here? You know how it is in a game with testosterone and how you act on game day… If I can’t play, I can’t play. It’s a deltoid ligament. … I have to have surgery in the next couple weeks.”
Over his 12 seasons, Brown has amassed 928 catches for 12,291 yards and 88 touchdowns. It remains to be seen whether any teams take a flier on him next season, but it likely won’t be the Bears if it happens.
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