Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty
“He is no longer a Buc,” those were the words straight from the mouth of Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians when asked to explain why Brown took off his jersey and pads left the field shirtless. Brown’s teammates Mike Evans and O.J. Howard could be seen trying to calm Brown down before he made his exit in the middle of the third quarter. After he chucked his shirt and gloves into the crowd, Brown dashed to the endzone waving to fans before heading to the locker room while both teams were still on the field.
A Metlife Stadium security officer thought Brown was a shirtless fan who ran on the field,
telling ESPN, “We thought he was a jumper,” adding that Brown even asked state troopers for a ride to the airport, but they told him, “No.”
“He was shirtless and didn’t have his wallet,” the officer revealed, adding that Brown changed in the locker room and found a ride.
https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1477735870467870728?s=20
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Following the Bucs 28-24 victory over the New York Jets, Arians kept it short and sweet, addressing the matter and telling reporters that Brown is no longer a member of the team. “That’s the end of the story. Let’s talk about the guys that went out there and won the game,” Arians said.
Speaking with Fox Sports, Arians revealed he tried to get Brown to go back into the game, but he refused twice, leading to Arians telling him to “get out.” When asked about Brown taking off his equipment on the field, Arians said, “Never seen anything like that in all my years.”
When pressed for more details on what led to Brown’s head-scratching departure, Arians said, “I’m not talking about him. He’s no longer part of the Bucs.”
A source told
ESPN that the receiver just plain “quit” on the team and was not benched. As expected, that wasn’t the end of the shenanigans, Brown who did not get on the team chartered flight hopped in an Uber.
He also hopped on Instagram sharing a photo of himself with the caption “Big MAD (Making A Difference ) Thanks for the opportunity.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYPuCWGvwns/
Of course, he also “raps” and shared the link to some new music via Twitter for those who didn’t know.
Unlike Arians, Brown’s teammates took a more diplomatic tone when talking about the AB situation. Bucs quarterback Tom Brady called it a “difficult situation” and said he didn’t learn of Brown’s dismissal till after the game.
“We all love him. We care about him deeply. We want to see him be at his best. Unfortunately, it won’t be with our team,” Brady said, stating he will continue to be friends with the troubled receiver.
“I think everyone should be very compassionate and empathetic toward some very difficult things that are happening,” Brady further added.
This latest incident follows Brown getting
caught using a fake COVID-19 vaccination card that earned him a
three-game suspension. The Bucs decided to give him another chance, but he squandered that opportunity.
Of course, Twitter had plenty of thoughts on the matter, some empathetic. Some are saying enough is enough. You can peep them in the gallery below.
Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty
