Injury claim led to AB’s bizarre exit

Antonio Brown’s hasty exit from Sunday’s game — and potentially his NFL career — happened because he believed he was injured, according to and NFL Network report.

Though Brown played in the early part of the Buccaneers’ eventual 28-24 win over the Jets at MetLife Stadium, he did so on an ankle bad enough that he sat out practice twice during the week. Personally, the eccentric wide receiver doubted he was healthy enough to play, according to the report, and when the Buccaneers staff told him to go into the game during the third quarter, Brown refused.

At that point, the 33-year-old Brown reportedly was told to get out by Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians and exited the sidelines in a scene that went viral after he stripped shirtless, threw his gloves into the crowd and then ran through the end zone and into the tunnel. He had three catches for 26 yards in the game.

Arians told reporters after the game that Brown was no longer with the team, offering no other comment on the situation. Quarterback Tom Brady, who was a huge proponent of bringing the former Steeler and Patriot to Tampa Bay, asked for empathy toward Brown.

However, when asked about Brown’s potential injury on Monday, Arians responded.

“I don’t know that he was [injured],” the Super Bowl winning coach 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.”

The Buccaneers, the NFC North champions, did not officially release Brown and there are ongoing discussion with the NFL about how to move forward under the circumstances, according to ESPN. Brown lost up to $1 million in contract incentives by having his time in Tampa Bay end prematurely. He thanked the organization for the opportunity, which including a Super Bowl victory last season, in an Instagram post on Sunday.

It seems like it could also be the end of the line for Browns’ career. He’s had major off-the-field issues before. As recently as 2020, he was accused of assaulting a moving truck driver and had a number of run-ins with police. This season he was suspended by the league for obtaining a fake COVID-19 vaccination card. Brown had 42 catches for 545 yards and four touchdown this season.