Before his abrupt exit from Sunday’s game, Antonio Brown told staffers that he would be unable to continue due to his injured ankle, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. When he was pushed to re-enter the game, Brown refused, undressed and sprinted to the tunnel.
The Bucs, without Brown, went on to complete a comeback win over the Jets. Immediately after the game, head coach Bruce Arians told reporters that the mercurial wide receiver was “no longer a Buc.”
Brown is now technically up for grabs, available on the waiver wire for playoff-bound clubs and hopefuls. It’s still unlikely that anyone will roll the dice on him, but the injured ankle does provide a bit of context for his viral moment. In his defense, the injury has hampered Brown throughout the year, all the way through Thursday and Friday last week when he was unable to practice.
For all of his off-the-field missteps, Brown has been stellar when on the field and healthy. Heading into Sunday, he had amassed 39 catches for 519 yards and four touchdowns across just six games. Now, after a quiet first half against the Jets and a very loud exit, his 2021 ends with a 42/545/4 line in seven contests.
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