Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers star wide receiver Antonio Brown has responded to rumors and speculation about his mental health.
Brown chopped it up with former Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall on Wednesday about his future with the NFL following his dramatic field exit during Tampa’s Week 17 win over the Jets.
Brown took to social media after his exit to criticize Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians for kicking him off the team. He took aim at his former coach during an excerpt of an in-depth interview on Marshall’s “I AM ATHLETE” show on YouTube. The full interview is scheduled to air Monday, Jan. 24 at noon. But in the clip, Brown does address his mental health.
“There’s nothing wrong with my mental health. Someone told me to get the f—-out of here. I’m not passive-aggressive,” he said.
Brown also made time to clap back at fans who called him “crazy” after his mid-game meltdown.
“Why every time something happens bad, or how someone reacts, ‘Aw, he’s crazy, there’s something wrong with his mental health,'” Brown asked.
Brown is referring to the reaction to his dramatic and unexpected exit from a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game earlier this month. TheGrio reported that the incident occurred late in the third quarter with Tampa Bay trailing 24-10.
Brown appeared animated while talking to teammate Mike Evans, who tried to calm him down. But Brown stripped off his pads, jersey, gloves, and T-shirt — tossing the latter two into the stands — and walked bare-chested down the sideline and into the end zone. He then waved to fans as jogged through the end zone and into the tunnel at MetLife Stadium.
Brown was then released from the Buccaneers after he walked off the field, and Arians confirmed it after the game.
Brown said an ankle injury was the reason for his bizarre, shirtless exit before Tom Brady led the Bucs on to a 28-24 victory over the New York Jets.
Brown had been out for several weeks nursing the injury and reportedly felt he was not fully recovered enough to return to the game, per Yahoo. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Brown “did not feel he was healthy” enough to continue with the game.
“What he told the staff, from what I understand, is that he was not going into the game because, in his mind, he did not feel he was healthy,” Rapoport previously said. “The response then from the offensive coaches and from Bruce Arians was, ‘If you are not gonna go into the game when we tell you to go into the game, then you cannot be here.’ At that point, they threw him off the sidelines and then cut him from the team.”
During the interview with Marshall, Brown insisted that Arians knew he was injured and forced him to play anyway.
“An NFL Super Bowl team coach told a guy on the team who’s playing hurt ‘get the f—out of here,'” he told Marshall.
Inquiring minds now want to know what’s next for one of “the greatest WR’s of his generation,” according to TMZ.
Sports fans and pundits have noted that Brown’s Tampa exit and history of personal conduct issues and bizarre behavior might make it challenging for him to get another NFL job. In December, he was suspended for three games for violating the league’s COVID-19 protocols when it was learned he faked a vaccination card.
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