Antonio Brown and his tenure with the Bucs officially ended Thursday when the team parted ways with him. Before his release the enigmatic receiver went on a tirade posting messages on his Twitter and Instagram trying to state his case. The night before, he and his PR team released statements accusing the Bucs of negligence regarding Brown’s ankle injury.

Now, Brown has joined the Full Send Podcast to talk about his tumultuous ending with the franchise. The show was recorded Thursday and released Friday. Brown dove into several topics, including his relationship with Tom Brady, what teammates O.J. Howard and Mike Evans said to him before he left the game and how the Bucs treated him.

Friendship With Brady

Brady is widely considered the main reason Antonio Brown joined the Bucs during the 2020 season. During the offseason, head coach Bruce Arians was publicly against bringing the receiver in. Arians even called him a “diva” in 2019. But Brady, Arians and Jason Licht knew Brown could help them win. Sure enough, playing with Brady and the talented Bucs roster helped bring Brown back to relevance. But on the Full Send podcast, Brown tabbed Brady as a friend of convenience, not someone who has his back.

“To me, a friend is someone who’s got your back,” Brown said. “Not everybody in sports is going to be your friend. Tom Brady is my friend why? Because I’m a good football player. He needs me to play football. People have different meanings of what friendship is.”

After insinuating that Brady brought him to Tampa Bay only because of his football prowess, Brown went on to say that Brady got Gronkowski paid more than himself.

“If Tom Brady is my boy, why am I playing for an earn-it salary?” Brown said. “Gronkowski is his boy. How much does he get paid? Why is AB on a prove-it deal?”

Brady even went as far as hosting Brown in his home while he got settled in Tampa Bay. But Brown suggested it was for public influence and that Brady only helped the veteran receiver because it helped himself.

“Stay at his house?” Brown said. “I’ve got my own money. I don’t need to stay at no one’s house. I’ve got my own house. Guys do that to influence you guys in the public. Like ‘oh he’s at Tom’s house? Then he must be a good guy.’

“How did he help me? Why did he help my career come back? Because it helped him?”

When Brown was asked what makes Brady the greatest quarterback to play the game, the receiver scoffed.

“Brady can’t do shit by himself,” Brown said. “But you guys are going to make it seem like he’s just this heroic guy. We’re all humans, bro. We’re all dependent on somebody else to do the job.

“People love Tom Brady because he’s a winner. Tom Brady loves me because I’m a winner. It’s not about being friends, it’s about relating to who is a winner.”

Brown’s Version Of What Happened Against The Jets

Brown said the whole team knew about his ankle injury. He also alluded to the text messages he posted from Bucs head coach Bruce Arians. Later, Brown explained he told the coach that his ankle was sore and he couldn’t run at full speed.

“You’ve got a right to tell Coach, ‘Yo, Coach, I can’t go into the game,'” Brown said. “If it makes the coach irrational, emotional that I can’t do my job, that’s not humane.”

Brown then claimed Arians made a throat-slashing gesture, telling the veteran wideout he was done and to get the f**k out.

“At that point, bro, I’m taking your f**king logos off,” Brown said. “I don’t want to wear that shit. I’m out of here.”

Before he left the field, Brown teammates O.J. Howard and Mike Evans tried to calm him down.

“Don’t do it, man. Don’t do it man,” Brown claimed his teammates said. “We need you, we love you.”

Playing the victim card, the 33-year old went on to say he was treated like a pawn. Saying he risked his life and was f**ked over by the coach and organization.

“How would you feel if a coach told you to get the f**k out?”

Comments On The Bucs Organization

Brown didn’t stop there. He boasted about how the Bucs still have to pay him, claiming his appearance on the podcast had nothing to do with money.

“I’m not here for the money,” Brown said. “The Bucs still got to pay me.”

He also claimed he was the best receiver on the roster.

“Who’s better than me?” Brown said. “Let’s be real. Who’s the best guy over there?”

Brown doubled down on that wondering aloud why he wasn’t receiving targets like a top receiving option.

“I’m still the best though. You’re looking at the tape right here. So I’m asking you guys. Why am I not getting the ball targeted like a No. 1 receiver?”

In reality, Brown spent 2021 targeted on a greater percentage of his snaps than any other receiver on the team. In fact, Brown was targeted at by far the highest percentage of his career.

Brown Bizarrely Brings Up Vincent Jackson

He then made comments about people accusing him of having CTE.

“AB’s crazy he may have CTE, he need to get some help,” Brown said. “Do you think these people care if I have CTE?”

Brown also made especially bizarre comments on how the Bucs handled the death of former receiver Vincent Jackson.

“Did you see them do anything for Vincent Jackson like (the Broncos) did for Demaryius Thomas?” Brown said. “Did they put his number on the field? This guy used to work for your business. These guys didn’t put his number on the field, bring his family. They didn’t do anything to bring awareness to this guy.”

Brown has had a troubled past and mostly used this interview to blame other people for the perception of his actions. He repeatedly alluded to the media spinning things they way they want the public to perceive it and that they make him out to be the bad guy. Brown cleared waivers on Friday making him a free agent to sign with another club.

You can listen to the podcast in its entirety here.