The Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday officially released Antonio Brown, after which head coach Bruce Arians shared his side of what happened Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
Brown ripped off his pads and left the sideline shirtless during the third quarter of Tampa Bay's Week 17 win over the New York Jets. He since has claimed that Arians tried to force him to play through an ankle injury, even sharing text messages the two exchanged leading up to Sunday's game, and the coach on Thursday addressed those allegations.
"Just to clear you up on some things that happened: At no point in time during that game did he ever ask the trainer or doctor about his ankle. That's the normal protocol. You go through protocols during games. I was never notified of it," Arians told reporters. "So, obviously 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. Got that calmed down. Players took care of that. It started again on the sideline.
"We called for the personnel group that 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? (He said), 'I ain't getting the ball.' That's when I said, 'You're done. Get the F out of here.' And that's the end of it."
There's obviously been a lot to sort through in wake of Brown's blowup. He hasn't exactly gone off the grid since doing jumping jacks in the end zone and waving to the crowd while exiting the field.
Brown showed up courtside to Monday's Brooklyn Nets vs. Memphis Grizzlies game at Barclays Center, responded to Cameo requests and has been active on social media. He even shared screenshots of an alleged exchange with Tom Brady's trainer, Alex Guerrero, although the wide receiver later clarified the quarterback and his other Bucs teammates were "good" to him during his time in Tampa Bay.
Arians said immediately after Sunday's game that Brown was "no longer a Buc." It took four days for the release to become official, but the organization now sounds ready to move on, even though this story likely will continue to dominate the news cycle as the Bucs march toward the NFL playoffs.
"You can't force a player to play. They have that choice. It's their body," Arians said Thursday. "And he decided to play (Sunday). He and Mike (Evans) both were on pitch counts, and we were trying to manage that as best we could in the first half."
Arians initially was reluctant to bring in Brown last season, but the Bucs ultimately acquiesced to Brady's wishes and the seven-time Pro Bowl selection played an important role in helping Tampa Bay win Super Bowl LV. Thus, the Bucs re-signed him over the offseason.
Arians' zero-tolerance policy was tested recently when Brown received a three-game suspension from the NFL for misrepresenting his vaccination status. Still, the Bucs welcomed him back, a decision that now looks even more ill-advised based on what's transpired in recent days.
"Yeah, I'm hurt," Arians acknowledged. "But I still wish the best for him. Just get the help you need."
