Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown was at it again on social media Monday, calling out the organization and quarterback Tom Brady.
Brown took to Instagram to post a story with an X-ray on his injured ankle as a backdrop. In the post, the seven-time Pro Bowler indicated that the Buccaneers “tried to hurt me intentionally.” He also indicated that Brady told the wide receiver he’d throw him the ball if he played hurt. “He didn’t throw it. Imagine being hurt having to play through this and being lied to.”
Brown was released late in the season following a Jan. 2 game against the New York Jets. He got into it with the Buccaneers’ coaching staff before leaving the field in a tirade.
Since then, Brown has continued to call out Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians and his now-retired former quarterback.
There’s a major issue with accuracy of Brown’s latest rant
If you scroll in on the date of the image Brown uses in his social media post, it’s easy to see that the photo is from Oct. 25 of 2021. This came well before the Jets game Brown is placing into question.
In fact, this date fits the timeline of a separate ankle injury Brown suffered in a Thursday night game against the Philadelphia Eagles back on Oct. 14. So, it’s not necessarily surprising that the enigmatic free-agent receiver has since deleted that post. Remember, he missed substantial time with that first ankle injury.
Brown had in the past indicated he did not complain about targets in the Jets game. However, it’s now pretty clear that he did. That aligns with what Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans said recently.
“What I remember is we were trying to get him to come back in the game. He was saying he wanted the rock, and rightfully so.”
Mike Evans on Antonio Brown situation (February 18, 2022)
Immediately before undergoing ankle surgery in January, Brown released a statement via his attorney making some pretty eye-opening claims against the Buccaneers’ organization.
“Because of my commitment to the game, I relented to pressure directly from my coach to play injured. Despite the pain, I suited up, the staff injected me with what I now know was a powerful and sometimes dangerous painkiller that the NFLPA has warned against using, and I gave it my all for the team,” the statement read.
Brown then went directly at Bruce Arians.
“I played until it was clear that I could not use my ankle to safely perform my playing responsibilities. On top of that, the pain was extreme. I took a seat on the sideline and my coach came up to me, very upset, and shouted ‘what’s wrong with you? what’s wrong with you?’ I told him ‘it’s my ankle.’ But he knew that. It was well-documented and we had discussed it. He then ordered me to get on the field. I said, ‘coach, I can’t.’ He didn’t call for medical attention. Instead, he shouted at me, ‘you’re done’ while he ran his finger across his throat.”
We’re not going to pretend to know what happened behind the scenes leading up to Brown’s tirade and subsequent release. What we do know is that the free-agent wide receiver is not doing himself any favors with the since-deleted IG post from earlier on Monday.
As for Brown’s performance on the field with the Buccaneers, he caught 87 passes for 1,028 yards and eight touchdowns in 15 games from 2020-21. Brown had indicated that multiple teams are interested in signing him.
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