Antonio Brown likes to say "business is booming," but when it comes to Tom Brady's decision to get into business with the troubled receiver, Brady had to know an explosion was possible.
Some might even argue it was inevitable.
Brady has spent the last two and a half years meticulously and carefully building a bridge for Brown to resurrect his career. With a couple of social media posts Thursday morning, however, Brown seemingly doused that bridge in gasoline, slathered on the napalm and is priming the flame-thrower.
His exit from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took another unsightly if not predictable turn when he posted screenshots of text messages with Brady's good friend and longtime trainer Alex Guerrero. In the process, Brown also publicly questioned Brady about Guerrero's business tactics, which essentially is questioning Brady who is tied by a resistance band to Guerrero's hip.
What's weird and potentially irksome for Brady in this situation is he's been Brown's biggest advocate for quite some time. According to reporting over the years, he really wanted the star wideout in New England when he was with the Patriots. He ultimately got that, but Brown's stay was short-lived due to his own off-field issues, a decision that reportedly ruffled Brady's feathers.
Ever political, Brady tiptoed around making any sort of tangible statement in defense of Brown during the Foxboro falling out. He did, however, offer a tacit defense of the mercurial receiver in a wishy-washy, ambiguous answer on WEEI-FM back in 2019.
"I think we're in a culture where people want to cast judgment quickly on people," Brady said. "We want to disparage people so quickly. And it just speaks to me that a lot of people are probably hurting because when you're not feeling great, you want other people to know that. I think it becomes very emotional."
Bucs head coach Bruce Arians -- who knows Brown quite well from their time together in Pittsburgh -- infamously stated his team would have no interest in signing Brown last season. That was met with early skepticism in large part because everyone knew how much Brady loved Brown and wanted a Florida reunion. Then, of course, Tampa Bay signed Brown, making Arians look like a doofus, a notion he helped reinforce after going back on his word (again) this season by welcoming Brown back to the team following the vaccination card debacle.
Things worked out for Brady, Brown, Arians and the Bucs last season when AB helped the Bucs win a Super Bowl. This season, it blew up in their faces. Brown's Meadowlands meltdown last week was the final straw, for Arians, at least, who fell back on his tired tough guy act, declaring Brown's Tampa tenure through following a win over the New York Jets last week.
All the while, though, Brady went to bat for Brown, even following this most recent escapade -- in which Brown certainly appeared to quit on Brady and the rest of his teammates.
"Obviously, it's a difficult situation, and I think we all want him to just -- I think everybody should find and do what they can to help him in ways that he really needs it," Brady said Sunday. "We all love him, we care about him deeply. We want to see him be at his best and unfortunately, it won't be with this team. We have a lot of friendships that will last. The most important thing about football are your relationships with your friends and your teammates and they go beyond the field. I think everyone should be very compassionate and empathetic toward some very difficult things that are happening."
For all of that, Brady was rewarded with Brown dumping on him and his business partner Thursday morning. Now, Brady is left in an impossible position. There might not be a person outside Brady's life for whom the seven-time Super Bowl winner has more love, respect and admiration. Going after Guerrero might as well be a declaration of war against Brady.
On the other hand, though, Brady just got done telling us it's important to have empathy and understanding for people like Brown, even if they're not catching touchdowns for you anymore. To the credit of Brady and Guerrero, the latter calling Brown a "wonderful person" in that text exchange seems to suggest this thing is authentic.
For Brady, though, does that also still apply if they try to air out your BFF?
Brown followed up Thursday, saying it was the Bucs, not Brady, drawing his ire. It just seems like an awkward situation for Brady, who is impossibly positive about everything.
Don't bet on any strong public statement one way or another from Brady, though. Perhaps we'll get Brady's true thoughts from yet another documentary series about his career a few years down the road.
Then there's the timing of this whole thing. The Bucs are trying to defend their title, and they'll have to do so without Brown and Chris Godwin and with a potentially hobbled Mike Evans. We know we can't count out Brady on the field, of course, but the far more interesting thing at this point in his career might be his true feelings regarding everything unfolding with Brown.
