The Tampa Bay Buccaneers officially severed ties with Antonio Brown, terminating the declaration of the mercurial receiver portion besides contradicting the player's assertion that helium was fired successful the mediate of a crippled for not playing done an ankle injury.
Coach Bruce Arians said Thursday that Brown was upset that helium was not being targeted capable successful the opening fractional of past Sunday's crippled against the New York Jets and that the situation evolved to a boiling constituent successful the 3rd quarter.
"At nary constituent and clip during that crippled did helium ever inquire for the trainer oregon doc astir his ankle. That's the mean protocol. ... I was ne'er notified of it," Arians said, discussing the circumstances of Brown's bizarre exit successful item for the archetypal clip publicly.
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"He was precise upset astatine halftime astir who was getting targeted. We got that calmed down. Players took attraction of that," the manager added. "It started again connected the sideline. We called the unit radical that helium had played successful the full game. He refused to spell successful the game."
Arians said erstwhile helium became alert of the situation, helium went to Brown to inquire "what's going on?"
The manager said Brown responded, "I ain't playing ... I ain't getting the ball."
"That's erstwhile I said you're done. Get retired of here. That's the extremity of it. We are moving connected Carolina," Arians said, referring to this week's opponent. "That's the extremity of the story. Hopefully, it ends today."
The Bucs announced Brown's declaration was terminated 1 time aft the receiver broke his soundlessness connected the matter, alleging successful a connection released by the player's lawyer that Arians chopped him connected the spot due to the fact that Brown declined to re-enter the crippled due to the fact that helium was excessively injured to proceed playing.
"You can't unit a subordinate to play. They person that choice, It's their body," Arians said. "He decided to play."
Brown alleged a cover-up.
"I didn't quit. I was cut. I didn't locomotion distant from my brothers. I was thrown out," the receiver's connection said.
"Being fired connected the sideline for having a achy wounded was atrocious enough. Then came their 'spin.' Coach denied connected nationalist tv that helium knew astir my ankle. That's 100 per cent inaccurate," Brown added.
"Not lone did helium cognize I missed respective games with the injury, helium and I exchanged texts days earlier the crippled wherever helium intelligibly acknowledged my injury."
Brown, who has a agelong past of troubled behaviour connected and disconnected the field, including being accused by 2 women of intersexual battle — 1 said helium raped her — removed his jersey, enarthrosis pads, undershirt and gloves earlier leaving the sideline.
The receiver, who began his vocation with the Pittsburgh Steelers, tossed immoderate of his cogwheel into the stands, did immoderate jumping jacks and waved to fans astatine MetLife Stadium successful East Rutherford, N.J., arsenic helium headed to the locker room.
"While Antonio did person attraction connected his ankle and was listed connected the wounded study the week starring up to past Sunday's game, helium was cleared to play by our aesculapian squad anterior to the commencement of the crippled and astatine nary constituent during the crippled did helium bespeak to our aesculapian unit that helium could not play," the Bucs said successful a statement.
"We person attempted, aggregate times passim this week, to docket an valuation by an extracurricular orthopedic specialist, yet Antonio has not complied," the connection added. "Maintaining the wellness and wellness of our players is of the utmost value to our organisation."
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While not specifying which ankle was hurt, Brown — done the connection released by lawyer Sean Burstyn — said an MRI performed Monday showed breached bony fragments, a ligament teardrop and cartilage nonaccomplishment "which are beyond painful. You tin spot the bony bulging from the outside."
Despite saying aft the crippled that Brown was nary longer a portion of the defending Super Bowl champions, the 33-year-old receiver had remained connected the roster. Wednesday's wounded study noted Brown's lack from signifier was "not wounded related — personal."
NFL Players Association President and Browns centre JC Tretter said the national volition analyse Brown's claims.
"It's something, you don't privation to perceive that," helium said Thursday connected a Zoom telephone with Cleveland reporters. "I won't get excessively overmuch into idiosyncratic person's cases, it's benignant of ever our policy, but it's thing we decidedly person to look into and spot what's going connected down there."
Bucs backmost Tom Brady was 1 of the players who supported the determination to motion Brown successful October 2020 arsenic the receiver was nearing the extremity of serving an eight-game suspension for aggregate violations of the NFL's idiosyncratic behaviour policy.
"I deliberation there's batch of, obviously, idiosyncratic feelings. I don't truly deliberation this is the week to sermon it, though," Brady said aft signifier Thursday, reiterating that the squad is focused connected preparing for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Panthers.
"I'm conscionable going to bash the champion I tin arsenic the backmost of the team, effort to enactment unneurotic a large week and decorativeness strong," Brady added. "You woody with antithetic things during the people of a season. That's what were doing this week."
Brown injured his ankle during a triumph astatine Philadelphia successful mid-October and didn't play again until Dec. 26 against Carolina, a two-month agelong that included a NFL-imposed, three-game suspension for misrepresenting his COVID-19 vaccination status.
The receiver joined the Bucs midway done past season, with Arians saying astatine the clip that determination would beryllium zero tolerance for the benignant of incidents that had derailed Brown's vocation successful the past.
He helped Tampa Bay triumph its archetypal Super Bowl rubric successful astir 2 decades past February and returned this play connected a one-year, $3.1 cardinal declaration that could person been worthy up to doubly that with incentives.
Brown appeared successful 7 games this season, finishing with 42 receptions for 545 yards and 4 touchdowns. His streak of 144 consecutive games with astatine slightest 1 reception is the longest successful the league among progressive players.
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