Buccaneers cut ties with Brown
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers officially parted ways with Antonio Brown, terminating the contract of the mercurial receiver while also contradicting the player’s claim that he was fired in the middle of a game for not playing through an ankle injury.
Coach Bruce Arians said Thursday that Brown was upset he wasn’t being targeted enough in the opening half of Sunday’s game against the New York Jets and that the situation came to a boiling point in the third quarter.
“At no point and time during that game did he ever ask for the trainer or doctor about his ankle. That’s the normal protocol. … I was never notified of it,” Arians said, discussing the circumstances of Brown’s bizarre exit in detail for the first time publicly.
“He was very upset at halftime about who was getting targeted. We got that calmed down. Players took care of that,” the coach added. “It started again on the sideline. We called the personnel group that he had played in the entire game. He refused to go in the game.”
Arians said when he went to Brown to ask “what’s going on,” Brown responded, “I ain’t playing … I ain’t getting the ball.”
“That’s when I said you’re done. Get out of here. That’s the end of it,” Arians said.
The Bucs announced Brown’s contract was terminated one day after the receiver broke his silence on the matter, alleging in a statement released by his attorney that Arians cut him on the spot because Brown declined to re-enter the game because he was hurt.
“I didn’t quit. I was cut. I didn’t walk away from my brothers. I was thrown out,” the receiver’s statement said.
Portis is handed 6-month sentence
Former Denver and Washington running back Clinton Portis has been sentenced to six months in federal prison and six months of home confinement for his part in defrauding a health care benefit program for retired NFL veterans.
Portis pleaded guilty to fraud in September after filing nearly $100,000 in false claims for medical equipment that wasn’t provided.
Fourteen other former players also have pleaded guilty to charges.
Odds and ends
A day after rookie LB Micah Parsons went on the COVID list, the Cowboys placed OT Tyron Smith and CB Anthony Brown on the list going into Saturday’s game in Philadelphia against the Eagles.
The Steelers placed top WR Diontae Johnson and C Kenrick Green on the COVID-19 list, meaning QB Ben Roethlisberger likely will be without them Sunday against the Ravens in what’s expected to be his final game . ...
The Chiefs likely will be without RB Clyde Edwards-helaire (shoulder) for the second straight week when they visit Denver on Saturday . ...
The Colts placed former Smithson Valley and Rice safety Andrew Sendejo on the COVID list, leaving them without a key defender as they try to clinch a playoff spot Sunday at Jacksonville.