Antonio Brown’s hasty exit from Sunday’s game – and potentially, his NFL career – happened because he believed he was injured, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Though Brown played in the early part of the game, he did so on an ankle bad enough that he sat out of practice twice during the week. Personally, Brown doubted that he was healthy enough to play, per Rapoport and when the staff told him to go into the game during the third quarter, Brown refused.
At that point, Brown was thrown off the sidelines and cut from the team during the game, leading to the scene that went viral on Sunday afternoon.
Antonio Brown throws his clothes into the crowd before leaving the field APBrown also lost up to $1 million in contract incentives.
Arians told reporters after the game that Brown was no longer with the team, offering no other comment on the situation. Quarterback Tom Brady asked for empathy towards Brown.
However, when asked about Brown’s potential injury on Monday, Arians responded.
“I don’t know that he was [injured],” Arians told reporters. “It’s pretty obvious what happened. He left the field and that was it. . . . We had a conversation and he left the field.”
It seems like it could be the end of the line for the 33-year old receiver. He’s had major off-field issues before, and just created a public spectacle of refusing to play in a game.
The Bucs went on to win the game, 28-24, over the Jets.
