Antonio Brown is getting ready for a game.
Antonio Brown accused the Buccaneers of pushing him to play hurt.
Brown shared an image that appeared to show text messages between him and the head coach.
Brown is set to be released by the Buccaneers on Thursday.
Antonio Brown is no longer with the team.
After a few days of waiting, the Buccaneers finally released Brown on Thursday, after he ripped off his pads and walked off the field during the middle of a game against the New York Jets.
Sean Burstyn, Brown's attorney, put out a lengthy statement on Wednesday night that preceded Brown's ultimate release. Brown said the Buccaneers pushed him to play despite his ankle injury.
Brown relented to pressure from his coach to play injured because of his commitment to the game. I wore up despite the pain. The staff injected me with a powerful and sometimes dangerous painkiller that the NFLPA has warned against, and I gave it my all for the team.
The statement continued.
I played until it was clear that I couldn't use my ankle to perform my responsibilities. The pain was very bad. My coach shouted "What's wrong with you?" to me as I sat on the sideline. What is wrong with you? I told him it was my ankle. He knew that. We had discussed it and it was documented. He ordered me to go on the field. I said I couldn't. He did not call for medical attention. Instead, he shouted at me, "You're done!" while running his finger across his throat. If I didn't play hurt, he told me, I was done with the team.
Brown accused the team of taking part in an "ongoing cover-up" and said that he had "broken bone fragments stuck in my ankle."
Adam Schefter wrote on January 6, 2017:
Brown's story was different from the one the team was in.
On Thursday, the Buccaneers put out a statement that differed from Brown's story.
While Antonio was listed on the injury report as having an ankle injury, he was cleared to play by our medical team before the start of the game, and at no point during the game did he indicate to our medical personnel that he was injured.
Antonio has not complied with multiple attempts to schedule an evaluation by an outside specialist.
Adam Schefter wrote on January 6, 2017:
On Thursday morning, Brown posted a statement and a text exchange between himself and the head coach of the Buccaneers.
January 6, 2022.
Brown doesn't know what the text exchange would prove. Brown was listed on the team's injury report and sat out practice during the week, but the team said in their statement that he was dealing with an ankle injury.
Brown complained about how he was being used.
There is still debate about whether Brown expressed that he was too injured to play. Brown says that he did, while the other side says he didn't.
According to the report, Brown did not mention his ankle injury while he refused to enter the game, but he was complaining about his targets at halftime.
He never asked a trainer or doctor about his ankle in that game. That's the normal protocol. During games, you go through protocols. I was never told about it.
He was very upset at the half time break. The players took care of that. It started again on the sideline. He played in the personnel group during the entire game. He wouldn't go in the game.
He went over to talk with Brown, who told him he wouldn't play because he wasn't getting the ball.
"I told you to get the F out of here," he said. When asked about Brown's accusation of making a throat-slashing gesture, he pointed Brown to the locker room. "That's all it was," he said.
Brown missed out on $1 million because he didn't catch anything.
Brown was concerned about his targets because of incentives. Brown was close to cashing in three incentives for a total of $1 million in bonus money when he left the sideline.
Brown requested the remaining incentive money be guaranteed the previous week, according to the general manager. The request was declined by the team.
Brown's break up with the Buccaneers was messy, as was his break up with the other teams. After leaving four teams in a row, Brown believes he has another chance in the NFL next year.
"I'll be back and ready to go next season," Brown said. "Business will be booming!"
The original article is on Insider.
