The New England Patriots and every team that Antonio Brown has ever played for has to be thankful they’re not forced to deal with the latest drama from the mercurial wide receiver.
During the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ thrilling, come-from-behind 28-24 win over the New York Jets on Sunday, Brown was reportedly benched. Let’s just say, he didn’t take too kindly to the coaching decision.
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Brown proceeded to disrobe (removing his shoulder pads and jersey) flinging many of the items into the crowd before exiting the field shirtless while waving to fans. If it sounds too crazy to be true, take a look.
It was a strange scene, but that’s something the sports world has become accustomed to seeing when it comes to the troubled receiver. Brown has had multiple disciplinary issues throughout his career. His exit from the Patriots came on the heels of legal charges stemming from an alleged assault.
Brown was suspended three games earlier this season for submitting a fake COVID-19 vaccination card.
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Bucs head coach Bruce Arians has seen enough. He announced during his postgame press conference Brown “is no longer a Buc,” and he declined to speak any more about the 33-year-old wide receiver.
Bruce Arians said Antonio Brown “is no longer a Buc.”
Twitter Erupted After Brown’s Exit
After the game, multiple camera angles from Brown’s exit began to surface. One angle shows a fan’s point of view, but The Athletic pointed out how much cash Brown left on the table with his exit. It would seem those incentives were well within reach.
It was a costly exit for Antonio Brown.
According to @spotrac, he needed just 8 more catches, 55 more receiving yards, and 1 more TD to unlock bonuses within his contract.
Each of those achievements were worth $333,333 totaling $1M.
Jerry Coleman of 105.7 The Fan captured former New York Giants great and current FOX NFL analyst Michael Strahan mocking Brown’s exit on the set of his show with Terry Bradshaw.
Here’s @michaelstrahan best #antoniobrown imitation @NFLonFOX 🤣
Chris Myers, who had play-by-play duties described Brown’s reaction as a “freak out” during the broadcast, and then doubled down on the reference in this tweet describing the aftermath.
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
Former Patriots legend and current Tampa Bay Bucs’ star Tom Brady was instrumental in getting Brown back into the NFL and on the team’s roster. Brady asked for empathy for his troubled friend during his postgame interview.
“Everyone should be compassionate and empathetic to some difficult things that are happening,” Tom Brady said of Antonio Brown.
Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk wondered how Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin managed to tolerate Brown for nine seasons.
Mike Tomlin tolerating Antonio Brown for nine seasons is one of the great coaching achievements in NFL history.
Where Does Antonio Brown Go From Here?
If we’re being honest, it appears Brown’s NFL career is over. The sad part is that he’s far from done as an NFL athlete; There are just other issues that continue to get in the way of what could’ve been one of the most impressive NFL careers we’ve seen from a wide receiver.
It is tough to imagine any team being willing to take a chance on Brown. If a leader like Brady in a locker room with guys like Lavonte David, Mike Evans and Arians aren’t able to positively influence him, then his situation probably requires trained professionals who specialize in tackling these kinds of challenges.
At 33 years old, the chances that Brown still has time to get it all together while proving himself worthy to another NFL team seem slim.
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Former Patriots WR ‘Freaks Out,’ Abandons Team Mid-Game