Antonio Brown has finally been cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the team says the wide receiver’s description of the events that took place on Sunday is not accurate.
The Bucs announced in a statement on Thursday that they have cut Brown. They also acknowledged that Brown received treatment for his ankle injury leading up to their Week 17 game against the New York Jets. However, the team says Brown was cleared by doctors and did not indicate to medical personnel during the game that he did not feel he could play.
Bucs’ official statement on terminating the contract of Antonio Brown: pic.twitter.com/XjGeercY7U
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 6, 2022
One interesting part of the statement is that the Bucs specified that Brown did not inform medical personnel of his injury. Brown claimed he told a Tampa Bay coach that he was in too much pain to play. He said the coach yelled “you’re done!” after that and ran his thumb across his throat.
Bucs general manager Jason Licht told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the team tried to set up medical evaluations for Brown in New York after Sunday’s game. They were willing to place him on injured reserve and pay him for the remainder of the year, but Brown did not cooperate.
Bucs made two doctors’ appointments in New York for Antonio Brown so they could place him on IR and pay him for the remainder of the year, and he missed both appointments, per Licht.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 6, 2022
Brown appears to be setting up for an injury-related grievance, though it will likely be his word against the team’s. The 33-year-old on Thursday shared screenshots of a text message exchange he had with Bruce Arians, which you can see here.
