Antonio Brown denied that he “walked away” with his Bucs teammates when he came out in the third quarter against the Jets, instead suggesting that he was fired by Bruce Arians after refusing to play due to an ankle injury that requires surgery; Sky Sports reach out to Tampa Bay Buccaneers for comment
Antonio Brown has accused the Tampa Bay Pirates of forcing him to play with an ankle injury that will require surgery, despite the “intense pain” of Sunday’s victory over the New York Jets.
In a lengthy statement released by his lawyer Sean Burstin on Wednesday, Brown said he was fired by Bruce Arians after telling the Tampa head coach that he could not return to the game because of his ankle. He added that the MRI showed broken bone fragments, ligament rupture and loss of cartilage.
When asked about the situation after the game, Arians told reporters that Brown is “not Buck anymore,” and said he did not inform him that he was not healthy enough to keep playing.
“Not really,” Arian said. “I mean what happened. It was pretty obvious what had happened. He left the field, and that’s all. “
“I wish him all the best,” added Arians on Monday. “I hope that if he needs help, he will get it. It’s very hard. I care about him. “
Antonio Brown’s statement through his attorney@seanburstyn: pic.twitter.com/pJ3VGFBjSy
– Adam Shefter (@AdamSchefter) January 6, 2022
Sky Sports reached out to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for comment.
In a statement, Brown said: “I make mistakes. I am working on myself and I have a positive impact on myself. But I don’t do one thing, it’s avoiding tough play on the field. Nobody can accuse me of not playing. giving all his strength in every game.
“Because of my commitment to the game, I succumbed to direct pressure from the coach to play the injured one. Despite the pain, I got dressed, the staff injected me with what I now know was the powerful and sometimes dangerous pain reliever that the NFLPA warned about. against use, and I gave my all for the team.
“I played until it became clear that I could not use my ankle to safely carry out my playing duties. On top of that, the pain was unbearable. I sat down on the sideline, and my coach came up to me, very upset, and shouted, “What’s the matter with you? What’s the matter with you?” I told him, “This is my ankle.” But he knew it, it was well documented, and we discussed it.
