Antonio Brown blames media for ‘drama’ over suspension

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown was not in a reflective mood after Sunday’s win over the Carolina Panthers.

Brown faced the media for the first time since returning from his three-game suspension for misleading the NFL with a fake vaccine card. Brown was inevitably asked about that, but deflected the question and blamed the media for creating “drama.”

Bucs' Antonio Brown, asked in postgame about his suspension: "I don't want to talk about that. You guys are all drama. It's all about football. We're going to talk about Carolina or I don't want to talk to you."

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) December 26, 2021

Later in the exchange, Brown was asked about the ankle injury that had sidelined him before the suspension. Even then, he turned the question back to “drama” created by people who “want stuff from me.”

Asked about his injury, Antonio Brown goes back to suspension: "It's a lot of drama you guys create, a lot of drama people create who want stuff from me. That's a part of life, a part of being in the position. I can't control what people want from me, what people write about me."

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) December 26, 2021

Brown’s remarks are certainly in line with the defiant tone he has sounded since returning from his suspension. Many would have wanted to see him take responsibility for his actions, which he did not really do at the time of the suspension. Considering the NFL found reason to suspend Brown — and could have sidelined him longer than three games — this is hardly some non-story that was invented out of thin air.

The 33-year-old receiver had a huge day for the depleted Buccaneers on Sunday, catching 10 passes for 101 yards.

Photo: Oct 14, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown (81) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports