Antonio Brown may have left the field at MetLife Stadium in the midst of Sunday’s game, but apparently didn’t get very far.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver — who hasn’t been officially released by the team despite Bruce Arians bluntly stating he “no longer” was a Buc following his mid-game outburst — was spotted sitting courtside for Monday’s NBA game between the Brooklyn Nets and Memphis Grizzlies.
This is Brown’s first public appearance since he stripped off his uniform and headed down the tunnel in the third quarter of the Buccaneers’ tilt with the New York Jets, though he certainly has been active since. In the hours following his scene and apparent release from his third NFL team in as many seasons, Brown posted a typical postgame outfit photo, a sponsored Instagram post and dropped a rap song.
He also appeared on the Instagram story of someone who goes by “Danny Boy” and claims to be the “personal driver” to the likes of Odell Beckham Jr., Saquon Barkley, Kenny Golladay, PJ Tucker and Brooks Koepka, among others. Danny, as we will refer to him here, uses the Instagram handle “@dannyboyhustlehard.”
And if nothing else, Brown’s appearance at Monday’s game corroborates Danny’s story, at least a little. The driver on Monday appeared on the Barstool Sports podcast “Pardon My Take” and claimed to have picked up Brown from Newark Liberty International Airport after he was driven there by a state police officer. But Brown decided not to get on a flight and met up with Danny, who was dispatched to the stadium, then the airport by a mutual friend.
Danny said Brown was going to stick around in New York and he expected they would meet up for dinner Monday night.
In the hours since Brown’s episode, there have been several reports about what led to the incident and how long tension had been brewing as well as what happened after. At least Danny Boy Hustle Hard’s account (seemingly) tracks.
It’s also worth noting that Barclays Center has a vaccine requirement. After all the drama surrounding Brown’s vaccination status — and his suspension for apparently using a fake vaccination card (which is a federal offense) — this just adds another layer to all of it.
