Star NFL wideout Antonio Brown was released from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday, according to the Buccaneers organization.
The reigning Super Bowl champions released a short statement regarding the decision on Twitter.
— xz – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) January 6, 2022
“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have terminated the contract of Antonio Brown, effective immediately. 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,” the statement read.
SOCIAL MEDIA REACTS TO ANTONIO BROWN’S DRAMATIC EXIT FROM THE BUCCANEERS
Brown’s release comes in the wake of a tumultuous week for the wideout, which began with a bizarre incident during Sunday’s Buccaneers win over the New York Jets that saw Brown strip off his gear and apparently quit on his teammates.
In a statement through his attorney, Sean Bursytn, #Bucs WR Antonio Brown says he will be undergoing ankle surgery — and a lot more. pic.twitter.com/zrwrrZD6rq
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 6, 2022
Since his dramatic exit off the field, Brown has released a rap song titled “Pit Not The Palace,” a lengthy legal statement, and a series of screenshots addressing everyone from Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians to Tom Brady’s longtime trainer Alex Guerrero.
Health over Wealth # Barbarian pic.twitter.com/5pxjpZ6491
— AB (@AB84) January 6, 2022
The catalyst behind the Super Bowl champion’s exit was the team’s forcing of Brown to play while injured, according to Brown’s comments.
“I took a seat on the sideline and my coach came up to me, very upset, and shouted, ‘What’s wrong with you? What’s wrong with you?’ I told him, ‘It’s my ankle.’ But he knew that. It was well-documented and we had discussed it,” Brown said. “He then ordered me to get on the field. I said, ‘Coach, I can’t.’ He didn’t call for medical attention. Instead, he shouted at me, ‘YOU’RE DONE!’ while he ran his finger across his throat. Coach was telling me that if I didn’t play hurt, then I was done with the Bucs,” the statement released by his attorney read.
Don’t get it twisted. My brothers have been good to me. From Tom to practice squad, we were a top-level unit. They have been good to me and knew nothing about my talks with coach last week. The team mishandled this situation. They let me down and, more importantly, my teammates.
— AB (@AB84) January 6, 2022
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Don’t get it twisted. My brothers have been good to me. From Tom to practice squad, we were a top-level unit. They have been good to me and knew nothing about my talks with coach last week. The team mishandled this situation. They let me down and, more importantly, my teammates,” read the wideout’s most recent Thursday tweet.
