The Buccaneers barely beating the New York Jets is enough fodder for a postgame press conference in its own right, but Antonio Brown naturally was the topic of conversation following Tampa Bay’s comeback win.
Brown suddenly took off his uniform and left the field in the third quarter Sunday. After the win, head coach Bruce Arians bluntly stated Brown was “no longer a Buc.”
Tom Brady certainly has a unique relationship with the wide receiver, with whom he was teammates on the New England Patriots. While Brady downplayed reports that he pushed for the Buccaneers to sign Brown when he headed south, the quarterback did admit Brown lived with him and his family for a period of time in 2020.
Speaking to reporters Sunday, Brady urged people to avoid judging the situation based on what was shown on television.
“Yeah, that’s obviously a difficult situation,” Brady said. “I think we all want him to just, I think everybody should find, do what they can to help him in ways that he really needs it. 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 our team.
“We have a lot of friendships that will last. The most important thing about football are the relationships with your friends and your teammates. They go beyond the field. I think everyone should be very compassionate and empathetic toward some very difficult things that are happening.”
While his latest antics certainly are his most dramatic exit, this certainly isn’t the first instance of Brown having trouble in the middle of the season. He was benched after reportedly throwing a ball at Ben Roethlisberger while with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018 before he was traded, and the Las Vegas Raiders fined and released him before he played a game in 2019.
The former Patriots wide receiver has had quite the drama-filled season, as his former personal chef came forward with allegations that Brown, who did not pay him, was using a fake vaccination card. He eventually settled the debt, but he called out the media for pushing the story.
