How Tom Brady Reacted To Antonio Brown’s Release From Buccaneers

Tom Brady went to bat for Antonio Brown on multiple occasions.

It worked out well for the Buccaneers last season, when Brown played an important role in Tampa Bay winning Super Bowl LV. But this season has been a much different story, with the Bucs officially releasing Brown on Thursday, four days after a wild sideline tantrum at MetLife Stadium.

“I think there’s a lot of personal feelings, obviously,” Brady told reporters Thursday when asked about the drama involving Brown. “I don’t think this is really the week to discuss it, though. I’m just going to do the best I can do as the quarterback of the team, try to put together a great week and finish strong. You just always deal with different things over the course of the season and that’s what we’re doing this week.”

Brown removed his pads and left the field shirtless Sunday during the third quarter of Tampa Bay’s 28-24 win over the New York Jets. He stopped to do jumping jacks in the end zone and played to the crowd before exiting down the tunnel.

Yet somehow, the situation only has become stranger with each passing day. Brown released a lengthy statement Wednesday accusing Bucs head coach Bruce Arians of trying to force him to play through an ankle injury, then followed up Thursday morning by revealing text messages between the two. Arians denied such allegations Thursday while sharing his side of the story.

Brown even seemed to take aim at Brady and the quarterback’s longtime trainer, Alex Guerrero, by sharing screenshots of a conversation with the latter. The wide receiver since clarified that Brady and his other Bucs teammates were “good” to him during his time in Tampa Bay, but it was another interesting plot twist given the QB’s past public support of AB.

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All told, it’s likely this story isn’t going anywhere, especially with the Bucs preparing to defend their title in the NFL playoffs thin at wide receiver. Chris Godwin recently underwent season-ending surgery, and Mike Evans has been banged up of late. Brown’s departure only adds to that problem.

But Arians on Thursday expressed a desire to turn the page. And Brady, while declining to go into specifics regarding Brown, is no stranger to handling (and oftentimes overcoming) off-the-field distractions throughout his NFL career.

“I’ve had lots of different things over a period of time,” Brady said. “I think what you’ve always got to think of is that the work is ahead of us. The more you think about things that have happened a year ago, five years ago, it just takes away from what we’re trying to do this week. The best you can focus on (is) the job you have to do, and I know what I have to do.

“The team obviously counts on me to do a good job with what I’m doing. The more I can focus on that, the better it is. That’s what I’ve tried to do this week, that’s what I tried to do last week, that’s what I tried to do the week before. I owe that to my teammates, my coaches and my family. I just want to go out there and do a great job.”

The Bucs had a good chance to repeat when the 2021 NFL campaign kicked off. They still do, with TB12 under center and plenty of talent elsewhere on the roster.

That said, the road has been much bumpier than Tampa Bay would have liked. We’ll see whether this latest distraction, on top of some injuries, ultimately proves fatal.

“I think every year you have different challenges and adversities,” Brady said. “I think the point is no two years are ever the same. As much as you would love to think, ‘Hey, let’s just do it like we did last year,’ it never is the case. You’ve got to work differently. We’ve had a lot of different injuries this year on defense, some on offense, guys in and out. You just try to figure out different formulas to win each week. This is a unique week. Last week of the year. Different guys are kind of stepping into different roles and doing the best job they possibly can.”

Another year, another challenge for Brady. But maybe he should have seen this one coming.