Antonio Brown Blames Tom Brady, Buccaneers For His Dramatic NFL Exit
Antonio Brown just won't go away.
Which is a bit of an ironic statement considering the fact that his never-ending pursuit to blame others for his dramatic exit from the NFL has only intensified since he technically did 'go away' in week 17 of the 2021 season when he stormed off the field in the middle of the Buccaneers Week 17 game vs. the New York Jets.
Brown hasn't been seen on a football field since that fateful January afternoon in New York, but he's sure managed to make himself seen (and heard) everywhere else.
Despite being one of the most talented wide receivers in the history of the NFL during his playing career, Brown's ability to blame others for his mistakes — while taking zero accountability for his own actions — may very well be his greatest skill.
And just when it starts to feel like Antonio Brown has accepted his role in the shadows, he seems to find a way to slither his way right back into the headlines. The most recent example of this stems from an appearance he made on Tyreek Hill's 'It Needed To Be Said' podcast.
When revisiting what led to him storming off the field vs. the Jets, Brown continued to double down on the accusation that Bruce Arians, and the Buccaneers, were forcing him to play through an injury.
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“We about to play the Jets, and this week I am really hurt... So I’m taking pictures to the coach like ‘If we’re going to win the Super Bowl, I’m going to need to take these last two weeks [of the regular season] at least recover up so I can give you my best; we here to win the Super Bowl,’ so the coach, [Bruce Arians], was like ‘Hey man, we ain’t resting.’”
Brown didn't stop at blaming Arians, though. Like he's done before, he made a point of implicating Tom Brady as well.
“Tom called me like ‘Yo, this week man, the Jets man, they sweet man imma hit you with like 10 to 12 [targets],’” Brown said. “So, he gonna gas me up so you know me, that’s all I need to hear, like yo, you gonna throw me the ball.”
And he didn't stop there.
“Tom Brady hit me up like ‘Yo, this is a big week,’” Brown said. “I know my s— f—-- up, but if he gonna gas me like that, why not? So I dressed up, suited up and once I got to New York, I already felt the bad energy.”
Brown also stated that the Buccaneers "treated me like I was a dog".
If Bruce Arians and the Buccaneers did indeed force Antonio Brown to play through an injury when he felt he wasn't able to, then obviously he has the right to be frustrated. But he's a grown man. And as such, he has the right to refuse unsafe working conditions.
But based on the harsh reality that Brown faces currently, one with zero NFL teams interested in his services, you have to assume that the rest of the league doesn't exactly believe his version of the story.
Now, the clock is ticking once again. But it's not ticking towards the next time that we may see Antonio Brown take the field for an NFL team, but more likely towards the next time we hear Antonio Brown blame others for his own childish behavior.
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