Brown storms off field in Bucs’ victory over Jets
Antonio Brown was apparently frustrated and angry. So he walked away, writes Dennis Waszak Jr. of The Associated Press.
From the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And possibly his NFL career.
The mercurial wide receiver was kicked off the Buccaneers after a bizarre, shirtless exit from the field before Tom Brady coolly led the Bucs on a 93-yard drive in the final minutes for a 28-24 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday.
Coach Bruce Arians said after the game Brown was off the team.
“He is no longer a Buc,” Arians said. “All right? That’s the end of the story. Let’s talk about the guys who went out there and won the game.”
Brown’s mid-game meltdown came late in the third quarter with Tampa Bay trailing 24-10. He appeared animated while talking to Mike Evans, who tried to calm his teammate. But Brown stripped off his pads, jersey, gloves and T-shirt — tossing the gloves and T-shirt into the stands — and then walked barechested 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.
It appeared to be a show of frustration by Brown, who had three catches for 26 yards.
“I’m not talking about it,” Arians said. “He’s not part of the Bucs.”
Brown was suspended last month for three games for violating the league’s COVID-19 protocols. He also has a history of personal conduct issues and bizarre behavior.
“It’s a difficult situation,” Brady said. “Everybody should do what they can to help him in ways that he really needs it. We all love him. We care about him deeply. We want to see him be at his best. Unfortunately, it won’t be with our team. I think everyone should be very compassionate and empathetic toward some very difficult things that are happening.”
The episode was the latest in a string of infractions and incidents in Brown’s 12-year NFL career. He returned to play last week from a three-game suspension that resulted from an NFL investigation that found he gave the team a fake COVID-19 vaccination card. After he caught 10 passes for 101 yards last week against the Carolina Panthers, Brown brashly refused to answer a reporter’s question about his suspension, saying: “I don’t want to talk about that. You guys is all drama. It’s all about football.”
Trivia question
On this date in 1983, Dallas running back Tony Dorsett scored on a 99-yard run, the longest in NFL history. Only once since then has an NFL player had a 99-yard run. Who was it?
They said it
From Dwight Perry of The Seattle Times: “For New Yorkers who missed seeing the ball drop in Times Square on Friday night, the Giants and Jets play on Sunday.”
Tweet from Greg Beacham of The Associated Press: “Utah’s RB/CB Micah Bernard
both caught a touchdown pass and led his team in tackles today. I believe he is the first player to do that in the Rose Bowl since Shohei Ohtani.”
Tweet from @TheCousinSal :“John Madden is the reason every 13-year-old boy is better at time management than Mike McCarthy.”
From corpulent Chiefs coach Andy Reid,
to reporters, on whether he has any New Year’s resolutions: “I was going to say eat less, but then I’d feel like Pinocchio.”
From Mike Hart of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, on Minnesota’s playoff chances entering Week 17: “The Vikings are still in the hunt. So was Elmer Fudd, and he never got anywhere.”