Tampa Bay Buccaneers officially release Antonio Brown
It seemed inevitable, but it’s finally happening. Antonio Brown is out in Tampa Bay.
The Buccaneers announced they released the embattled wide receiver on Thursday. ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported it was happening. The move comes four days after Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians said Brown is “no longer a Buc.”
The decision comes one day after Brown accused the Buccaneers of mistreatment regarding his ankle injury. Tampa Bay released a statement announcing Brown’s release and commented on the situation.
“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have terminated the contract of Antonio Brown, effective immediately,” the statement read. “While Antonio did receive treatment on his ankle and was listed on the injury report the week leading up to last Sunday’s game, he was cleared to play by our medical team prior to the start of the game and at no point during the game did he indicate to our medical personnel that he could not play.
“We have attempted, multiple times throughout this week, to schedule an evaluation by an outside orthopedic specialist, yet Antonio has not complied. Maintaining the health and wellness of our players is of the utmost importance to our organization.”
Brown went viral last weekend when he took his jersey and shoulder pads off during Sunday’s game and ran to the locker room in the middle of Tampa Bay’s game against the New York Jets. Arians declined to comment after the game and said Brown wasn’t a Buccaneer anymore, but he was still on the roster as of Thursday morning.
Now, it’s official. The Brown era is over in Tampa Bay.
Antonio Brown releases statement accusing Buccaneers of mistreatment
After staying silent about the incident which transpired on Sunday against the New York Jets, wide receiver Antonio Brown is finally sharing his side of the story.
This whole thing started in Brown’s second game back after serving a three-game suspension for violation of the league’s COVID policies. With the Buccaneers struggling against the Jets, Brown was seen taking off his shirt and throwing it into the crowd. But it didn’t stop there. Afterward, Brown ran to the locker room, stopping in the opposite end-zone and waved to the crowd. Before entering the tunnel, Brown threw up the peace sign to the fans in attendance.
But what was the reason for his actions? Well, Brown explained, at length, just what set him off in this letter via his legal team courtesy of ESPN’s Adam Schefter via Twitter.