Sad news for Tampa Bay Buccaneers:He will not play again..

Antonio Brown: Despite being hurt, I did not give up on the Buccaneers during the game.

Antonio Brown claims he was cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after refusing to play through an ankle injury that kept him out of action for several weeks this season, not that he left the team in the middle of a Sunday game.

The frequently troubled wide receiver claimed in a statement issued by his legal representative that he was under pressure to play after taking off his undershirt, shoulder pads, and jersey before leaving the field during Sunday’s victory over the New York Jets. He says that after the player informed the coach that his ankle prevented him from returning to the game, Bucs coach Bruce Arians fired him.

In the statement, Brown said, “I walked off the field.” But there’s a big difference between running off the field with a rush of emotions running through your head and launching from the line and taking hits. I’m thinking back on my response, but something caused it. Someone telling me I’m not supposed to feel pain served as the trigger.

Brown said in the statement that an MRI on Monday revealed broken bone fragments, a torn ligament, and cartilage loss “which are beyond painful,” without mentioning which ankle was injured. The protruding bone is visible from the exterior.

The day following the game, Arians stated that Brown did not declare himself injured when he declined to play against

Brown’s statement presented an alternative narrative.

“I gave in to my coach’s direct pressure to play hurt because I was that committed to the game,” he said. “I gave it my all for the team despite the pain, suiting up and having an injection of what I now know to be a potent and occasionally dangerous painkiller that the NFLPA has advised against using.” I continued to play until it became evident that I could not use my ankle to carry out my playing duties in a safe manner.

Furthermore, the pain was unbearable. My coach approached me after I took a seat on the sidelines, visibly upset, and yelled, “What’s wrong with you?” What’s the matter with you? I identified it as my ankle.

Then he gave me the order to enter the field. “Coach, I can’t,” I uttered. He made no request for medical assistance. Rather, he screamed, “YOU’RE DONE!” as he slid a finger down his throat. The coach informed me that I would no longer be playing for the Bucs if I didn’t play hurt.

The 33-year-old receiver, who has caught a pass in his last 144 games, was still on the roster on Wednesday even though Arians declared following the game that Brown was no longer a member of the defending Super Bowl champions.

Brown’s absence from practice on Wednesday was described as “not injury related – personal” in the injury report.

When asked why Brown, who did not travel with the team to Tampa after Sunday’s game, was not the subject of an official transaction by the team, Arians said, “It’s a management decision on what is happening right now.”

Arians responded, “Right,” when asked if the only question was how Brown would be cut from the team rather than if.

A request for comment regarding Brown’s statement from Wednesday night was not immediately answered by the team. A cover-up, according to the receiver.

“I didn’t give up. I was wounded. I didn’t turn my back on my brothers. According to Brown’s statement, “I was thrown out.”

“It was bad enough to get fired while on the sidelines due to an excruciating injury. Their “spin” then appeared. Coach denied knowing about my ankle on national television. That’s completely untrue,” the recipient continued. “He was not only aware that I had missed multiple games due to the injury, but we had also texted a few days prior to the game, in which he explicitly acknowledged my injury.”

In mid-October, Brown suffered an ankle injury during a win at Philadelphia. On December 26, he made his comeback to the starting lineup against Carolina following a three-game suspension for falsifying his Covid-19 vaccination status.

Brown has had problems off the field in the past. He criticized the Buccaneers in his statement on Wednesday for suggesting that Sunday’s incident was caused by a “mental health issue” as opposed to an injury.