Following a wild game in which Antonio Brown through a sideline tantrum and left the field, Bucs head coach Bruce Arians came to a quick decision. After the game, Arians announced the team will move on without Brown.
“He’s no longer a Buc,” Arians said. “That’s the end of the story. Let’s talk about the guys that went out there and won the game.”
Brown had three catches for 26 yards before inexplicably ditching the team. Bucs sideline reporter T.J. Rives reported that Arians benched the star receiver, which led to the outburst. Brown ripped off his pads, despite Mike Evans’ attempts to calm him down. Brown then pulled off his undershirt and left the field shirtless, waving to fans.
As we just said on #GoBucs radio Antonio Brown was benched by Coach Bruce Arians before taking off his shoulder pads and jersey and throwing them down on the bench. He's gone to lockerrom on his own
— TJ Rives (@BucSidelineGuy) January 2, 2022
Antonio Brown has a meltdown at the hand of the #Jets and #BraxtonBerrios pic.twitter.com/RGhSYpyrOu
— Miller (@mmmmillah) January 2, 2022
That’ll be the end of the road for Brown, who the Bucs really needed after Chris Godwin went down with an injury. With Godwin lost for the season, Brown was expected to step up. The troubled wide receiver had 10 catches for 101 yards last week in a win over the Panthers. But Brown barely practiced with an injury this week, then was in-and-out of the lineup on Sunday. It’s unclear what led to his outburst on the sideline.
But it’s clear that Brown won’t play another snap for Tampa Bay. Or probably anyone else. Easily one of the most talented receivers to ever play, Brown’s character issues have tanked his career. Given a chance by Bruce Arians to turn it around, Brown’s latest misstep will probably be his last. The former All-Pro ended his season with 42 catches for 545 yards and four touchdowns.