With a day to ponder what the heck happened Sunday in New Jersey, Bruce Arians addressed the Antonio Brown situation once more Monday.
And, well, he didn’t have a whole lot to say.
That’s not entirely surprising, seeing as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach isn’t known for being loquacious. Still, he faced a barrage of questions about the embattled wideout, who was cut Sunday after taking his pads off and running off the field shirtless during the third quarter of a win over the New York Jets — a decision Brown since has doubled down on.
Here’s a full transcript of what (little) Arians had to say, which was shared by the team.
Note: We’ve removed any questions not about Brown. (There weren’t many, but apologies if you were curious about what Arians said regarding Cyril Grayson, Kenjon Barner and the like.)
(On if a team is permitted to part ways with an injured player)
“I don’t know that he (Antonio Brown) was.”
(On if WR Antonio Brown told him that he was injured)
“No.”
(On if he can speak more to the situation regarding Brown leaving the field)
“Not really. It’s pretty obvious what happened. He left the field and that was it.”
(On if Brown left the field on his own or if he told him to leave the field)
“We had a conversation and he left the field.”
(On how tough it was to watch the Antonio Brown situation unfold)
“Yeah, it was very hard. I wish him well. I hope, if he needs help, (that he) gets some. It’s very hard because I do care about him.”
(On if Brown underwent a mental health evaluation before he left the stadium)
“I have no idea.”
(On if he had a conversation with Brown before he left the stadium)
“No. Once he left the field, I never saw him.”
(On if the conversation he had on the sideline with Brown was at all regarding an ankle injury)
“No.”
(On what about his conversation with Brown led to him leaving the stadium)
“You have to ask him. I don’t know. I don’t have a clue.”
(On if there were any issues on the team side regarding the way Brown handled his rehab)
“No. None whatsoever. He was cleared to play last week (and) played (well). And (he was) cleared to play this week.”
(On if there were precipitating moments leading up to the Antonio Brown situation that unfolded during Sunday’s game, and his emotions regarding everything that played out)
“No, none whatsoever. Like I said, I care about him a bunch. I hope that he’s OK.”
(On if Antonio Brown or his agent have reached out to him after the game)
“Nothing whatsoever.”
(On how the team will transactionally part ways with Brown)
“That’s up to (Bucs general manager) Jason (Licht) and what he wants to do.”
(On how he will look at the overall experience with Antonio Brown and if he has any regrets)
“No, I have no regrets. I just hope the best for him.”
(On if has any details he would choose to share about the conversation he had with Antonio Brown before Brown left the field)
“No. Not at all.”
(On how a player can communicate to him that they don’t feel well enough to play)
“They go to the trainer and the trainer tells me he is out.”
So, in all, that’s 16 questions Arians faced about Brown, and there’s not a whole lot to take away from it.
The most noteworthy nugget is him saying the conversation on the sideline was not about an ankle injury, something we expressed skepticism over.
This situation isn’t going away anytime soon, though.
