Sometimes when something crazy happens, you need to give it a bit of time before the REAL explanation comes out. It appears as though that’s exactly what is happening with this whole Antonio Brown saga, as the latest report from the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport suggests that we weren’t being given the entire story after it happened on Sunday.
By now you’ve probably heard what went down on the field. Antonio Brown was seen blowing up on the Bucs’ sideline during the third quarter of their comeback victory over the New York Jets at MetLife. After getting into an argument with coaches, Brown was seen stripping off pieces of his uniform and throwing them into the stands before running off the field shirtless and giving the fans the peace sign.
From there, Brown reportedly headed outside the stadium, hopped into a police cruiser, and requested a ride to the airport so he could book his own flight out of town, away from the Buccaneers. It was a wild scene, to say the least.
After the game, it was being reported that Brown was upset because he felt as though the team was purposely trying to keep him from reaching his contract incentives, which amounted to approximately $1-million.
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Now we’re being told that’s not the case…Not even close.
According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Brown felt as though his ankle was not healthy enough for him to continue playing. Bruce Arians and the Bucs’ coaching staff felt otherwise. After a bit of a back-and-forth between the two, Arians told Brown that if he wasn’t going to enter the game, he wasn’t going to be a Buccaneer any longer. And that’s about the time when Brown started stripping down and throwing a fit.
Here’s the report from Rapoport, which confirms that Brown didn’t exactly quit on the team, like most initially believed:
Brown entered the game with a questionable tag after aggravating an ankle injury that had previously kept him out of a few games this season. During his post-game press conference, Arians mentioned that Brown had been on a snap count, but he failed to mention the part about Brown not feeling as though he could help the team any longer.
However, some may point to Brown’s exit and suggest that he didn’t look like a guy who was dealing with a serious ankle injury. See for yourself:
We’re not even 24 hours into this and we’ve already heard so many different accounts. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more details throughout the week. After all, this is only one of the craziest things we’ve seen unfold on a football field in some time.
W
