Antonio Brown last week threw some shade at Tom Brady, despite the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback voicing support for the beleaguered wide receiver amid his controversial departure.
Skip Bayless couldn’t help but shake his head.
“I’m trying with all my might to hang in with AB, because you have said, ‘I still believe he’ll get a shot next year,’ and I don’t want anybody to lose their job completely. I’m not wishing that upon anybody — lose his career completely,” Bayless said on Monday’s episode of “Undisputed” on FS1. “But he’s making it harder and harder on me. Obviously, I’m a Brady guy, and when you went on attack mode against Tom Brady all day Friday in several interviews that you did, it’s just hard for me to hang tough with you.”
The Buccaneers officially released Brown on Thursday, four days after the seven-time Pro Bowl selection ripped off his pads and exited the field shirtless during Tampa Bay’s Week 17 win over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. A lot happened in-between, with Brown firing shots at Bucs head coach Bruce Arians and Brady’s longtime trainer, Alex Guerrero, while going scorched earth on social media.
Brady didn’t say much following Brown’s release, the culmination of a situation that seemingly began the week prior when the Bucs refused to guarantee the remaining incentives in AB’s contract. Yet, Brown still took aim at Brady, questioning their friendship and the QB’s alleged role in negotiating said contract.
“This, on Friday, was straight delusional,” Bayless said. “It was so bad that it does make me wonder about (Brown’s) mental stability. Because he went deeper and deeper into attacking Brady, saying that he’s obviously the general manager of the team, and then he tries to make the case that if he’s really my friend, he wouldn’t force me as the GM to play on a prove-it deal.
“Time out, Mr. AB. You weren’t under contract to Tampa Bay last year in the offseason. You were free, free, free — free as a bird. You could go anywhere. Well, guess what. Nobody wanted you. Or you would have gone elsewhere. Because he would have been all about the money. … Well, OK. You’re kind of crawling back, because you don’t have any other options. So don’t condemn Brady for that.”
It’s unclear what role, if any, Brady played in ironing out the specifics of the contract Brown signed with the Buccaneers this past offseason. But the seven-time Super Bowl champion obviously wanted Brown — whom he’s vouched for on multiple occasions — back as Tampa Bay looked to repeat during the 2021 season. Evidently, that wasn’t enough for AB.
“Don’t condemn Tom Brady — the GOAT of your sport, the guy who was your angel, your biggest defender, the one who gave you your seventh, eighth and ninth chances in this league — don’t condemn him for a prove-it deal,” Bayless said.
Antonio Brown’s release leaves Tampa Bay thin at wide receiver — the Bucs also recently lost Chris Godwin to a season-ending injury — but Brady and Co. passed their first test Sunday, defeating the Carolina Panthers 41-17 to close out the regular season.
The Bucs will host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.
