Bruce Arians is making it abundantly clear: He isn’t going to take any crap from Antonio Brown.
Brown, who’s been out of the NFL since last September, is expected to officially join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday. Reports have indicated Tom Brady was the “driving force” behind Tampa Bay landing AB, though Arians on Sunday insisted the move was spearheaded by he and Bucs general manager Jason Licht.
Of course, Brown comes to Tampa with plenty of baggage. In less than a two-year span, he flamed out of Pittsburgh, Las Vegas and New England, and he’s currently on the tail end of an eight-game suspension. The seven-time Pro Bowl selection also has a reputation of being somewhat of a diva, something Arians says won’t fly with the Bucs.
The Tampa Bay head coach reinforced that point while speaking with NBC Sports’ Peter King. Arians will not tolerate target/touch complaints from Brown, who’s joining an already loaded offense.
“Mike (Evans) never (expletive),” Arians told King. “I love Mike. Today he didn’t touch the ball till the fourth quarter, but he just wants to win. Chris Godwin, same way. Gronk (Rob Gronkowski), same way. If AB’s not that way, then we’re going to have a problem.”
Brown is eligible to make his Bucs debut in Week 9 when Tampa Bay hosts the division rival New Orleans Saints for a primetime clash.
