Antonio Brown has a whole new perspective on what went down the night he took off his undershirt and exited MetLife stadium in the middle of a game.
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Playing with injuries is part of professional sports, but an athlete knows more about his body than anyone else. Brown was injected with a painkiller and forced to play with a bone fragment to his left ankle. But when the pain became too great, Brown refused to play hurt in the second half. Brown said, coach Bruce Arians ran his finger across his throat in a slashing motion and told him, “You’re done!”.
On the field, Brown removed his shoulder pads and jersey, flung his undershirt and gloves into the cheering Jets crowd. He then ran across the end zone before leaving through the tunnel at MetLife Stadium altogether. Tom Brady and the Bucs were still driving down the field during the third quarter.
Antonio Brown releases statement
Statement from Antonio Brown via his attorney @seanburstyn: pic.twitter.com/pJ3VGFBjSy
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 6, 2022
Brown said in his statement, “First they cut me. Now they cage me. Instead of asking how I felt or getting to the bottom of it, the team texted my camp promoting a totally false narrative that I randomly acted out without any explanation. They even told us in writing, ‘don’t spin this’ any other way.
“… The worst part of this has been the Bucs’ repeated effort to portray this as a random outburst. They are telling people that first I walked off, then I was cut. No. No. I was cut first and then I went home. They threw me out like an animal, and I refused to wear their brand on my body, so I took my jersey off.”
Bucs defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh who was once regarded as a “dirty” player due to personal foul penalties, said people are too quick to judge players without knowing what’s going on in their personal lives. He said Brown’s teammates remain supportive of him and are willing to help any way they can.
“I just wish (AB) the best. If you need something, I’m happy to help you.” pic.twitter.com/FUSwxHufWc
— Sports by Tampa Bay Times (@TBTimes_Sports) January 5, 2022
Brown has since remained in New York, where he said he underwent an MRI on the ankle and revealed he had bone fragments and a ligament torn from the bone, as well as cartilage loss. He vowed that once healthy again, he will return to the NFL. The final line of the statement read, “I’ll be back to 100% and looking forward to next season. Business gonna be BOOMIN!”