The open secret finally came to light. It was just a matter of time for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to announce the release of wide receiver Antonio Brown. The final period of this NFL tale came by a statement of the team: the 33 years old player is no more a Buc.
Before Tampa Bay's announcement, Brown has already shared his version of the rupture: he affirms to have an injured ankle that makes it impossible for him to be on the field. That is why the Miami native decided to leave Buc's game against New York Jets.
"I didn't quit. I was cut. I didn't walk away from my brothers. I was thrown out. Being fired on the sideline for having a painful injury was bad enough. Then came their 'spin'. Coach denied on national television that he knew about my ankle. That's 100 % inaccurate. They threw me out like an animal and I refused to wear their brand on my body, so I took my jersey off", stated Antonio Brown on his social media.
The reason argued by Tampa Bay Buccaneers for releasing Antonio Brown
The two times Super Bowl winners, in 2002 and 2020, have already put the wide receiver on the injury list after he abandoned the field on January 2. The message was clear: Brown was not going to wear anymore the team's jersey, but after 4 days the statement with the official reasons to release was published.
"While Antonio did receive treatment on his ankle and was listed on the injury report the week leading up to last Sunday's game, he was cleared to play by our medical team prior to the start of the game and at no point during the game did he indicate to our medical personnel that he could not play. We have attempted, multiple times throughout this week, to schedule an evaluation by an outside orthopedic specialist, yet Antonio has not complied", stated the Bucs.
This way, the 33 years old wide receiver adds another polemical episode to his collection, cause it is not the first time Brown is involved in trouble inside and outside the field. Could any other NFL team trust in him again or it is the end of a successful but also controversial career?
