The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have terminated the contract of receiver Antonio Brown, four days after his bizarre departure from a game against the New York Jets on Sunday.
In a statement released Thursday, the Bucs say Brown did not indicate during the game that he could not play because of an ankle injury. Brown took off his jersey and left the field shirtless during the third quarter on Sunday.
Bucs coach Bruce Arians held a rare Thursday press conference and addressed the incident after the termination.
“At no point in time during that game did he ever ask the trainer or doctor about his ankle,” Arians said. “That’s the normal protocol. You go through protocols during games. I was never notified of it. That was the disturbing thing when we were looking for him to go back into the game. He was very upset at halftime about who was getting targeted. We got that calmed down. The players took care of that.
“It started again on the sideline. We called for the personnel group he had played in the entire game. He refused to go in the game. That’s when I looked 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, what’s going on, I ain’t getting the ball.’ That’s when I said ‘you’re done, get the eff out of here.’ That’s the end of it. We are working on Carolina, that’s the end of the story.”
Brown released a statement on Wednesday that he was bothered by an ankle injury and needs surgery.
Before the Bucs announced the termination of his contract, Brown referred to Arians as a “barbarian” in a tweet.
The tweet showed alleged text messages between Arians and Brown before Sunday’s game.
Health over Wealth # Barbarian pic.twitter.com/5pxjpZ6491
— AB (@AB84) January 6, 2022
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Bucs tried to put an end to the dispute earlier this week, but couldn’t come to a resolution.
Bucs could have set up those appointments in Tampa, but they knew Brown was in NY and they believed they were trying to oblige him. Brown and his agent declined to send the Bucs his medical information from their doctor visit this week, and still have not returned their calls.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 6, 2022
Arians said after Sunday’s game that Brown was “no longer a Buc.”
Since then, Brown has released a rap song and appeared courtside at the Brooklyn Nets’ game on Monday.
The Bucs (12-4), who have clinched a playoff spot, host the Carolina Panthers in their regular-season finale on Sunday.
