Antonio Brown sparked many questions following his abrupt departure from MetLife Stadium during the third quarter of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers/New York Jets game. After removing his jersey and throwing it into the stands, he walked off the field.
After the outburst, two sides of the story came out: A statement from Brown that was released to ESPN claimed head coach Bruce Arians fired him because he was “unwilling to re-enter the game due to a severe ankle injury.” Arians told ESPN he didn’t know about the injury and that Brown had quit because he wasn’t getting the ball enough.
As more questions were asked about the situation, Arians said, “He is no longer a Buc, that’s the end of the story. Let’s talk about the guys that went out there and won the game.”
Following the 28-24 comeback win despite the loss of a player, Arians moved on from the issue and proceeded to look ahead to the Buccaneer’s playoff ambitions.
A few days later Brown released his full statement to ESPN about what triggered him to act so impulsively, saying:
“’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.’”
While the two stories differ drastically, Brown is working to prove his side with alleged screenshots of conversation and has brought lawyers into the mix. Either way, at least for the time being, the incident marks the end of Antonio Brown’s career in the NFL after many turbulent years.
He is not alone. This year, eight NFL head coaches have lost their jobs.
The Jaguars, Raiders, Broncos, Bears, Vikings, Dolphins, Giants, and Texans are all looking for new head coaches as all missed the playoffs, which began last week with the wild-card round. For the winners, it meant a chance to move onto the division round. However, for the teams who just missed the playoff cut, it is allowing more time to figure out staffing issues.
