Tom Brady has seemingly gone out of his way to help Antonio Brown revive his career over the past few years, but it does not sound like Brown feels the star quarterback has been the most loyal friend.
Brown opened up about his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during an appearance on the “Full Send Podcast” that aired on Friday. He described Brady as “one of my close friends,” but he went on to indicate that the QB uses him only for football reasons. You can see the clip below, but beware that it contains some inappropriate language:
“Some people have a different definition of friend,” Brown said. “Because when I say you’re gonna be a friend, that means I got your back. To me, that’s what a friend means. … Tom Brady’s my friend, why? Because I’m a good football player. He needs me to play football, right? These guys called me to win a Super Bowl.”
Brown then questioned why he was playing under such an incentive-laden deal with the Bucs. He said Brady is essentially the general manager in Tampa Bay, so he wonders why he wasn’t paid more than someone such as Rob Gronkowski.
“If Tom Brady’s my boy, why am I playing for an earn-it salary?” Brown asked. “You’re my boy though, right? Gronkowski’s his boy. How much does he get paid? So why is AB on a prove-it deal? Who’s better than me over there?”
Gronkowski is playing under a one-year deal that includes $8 million guaranteed. Like Brown’s deal, Gronkowski’s pact also includes up to $2 million in incentives. Brown, who also re-signed with Tampa Bay last offseason, had a one-year deal that included around $3 million guaranteed plus incentives. He’s right that Gronk got paid more, but we highly doubt Brady had any hand in negotiating either player’s contract. The seven-time Super Bowl champion probably tells the Bucs whom to sign, and the team handles the rest.
After Brown stripped off his uniform and left the field last Sunday, Brady urged people to show compassion. He later indicated that Brown has been dealing with personal issues away from the field.
Brown obviously isn’t moved by Brady’s support. In addition to questioning Brady’s motives as a friend, Brown also made a public accusation toward Brady’s best friend and longtime trainer.
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