Information Missing From NFL Network Report
January 3rd, 2022
Details unclear.
Joe found Ian Rapoport’s dispatch this morning about the sideline meltdown from furniture-tossing, bicycle-winging, tantrum-throwing quitter and former Bucs receiver Antonio Brown very interesting, and very lacking.
Oh, the intel from Rapoport was very good. But it leads to a lot of questions and seems to indicate a lot more to unearth.
Rapoport indicated it wasn’t just Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians who was involved but Bucs offensive assistant coaches. They, including Arians, wanted Brown in the game, but Brown claimed his ankle wasn’t right. Nowhere in the report did Rapoport mention trainers, which for Joe is a major element.
Did the trainers examine Brown? Did they give the coaches a green light to play Brown? We do not know. That’s a fairly important piece of information missing.
Rapoport also mentioned Arians and offensive assistants told Brown on the sidelines he was done with the team and to go home. For good.
There is something shady about this. Joe thinks there is a significant chunk of this story missing. When did you ever hear of an NFL team throwing a player off the team in the middle of the game on the sidelines? That’s unheard of.
Joe is guessing something happened in the locker room at halftime that led to this — maybe trainers told Arians that Brown was good to go? Maybe something happened during the week of practices that stoked the fire for this explosion?
There seems to be a major chapter to this story missing. Guys with talent like Brown has aren’t kicked off teams in the middle of the third quarter in a tight, important game with the offense on the field. Joe is virtually convinced something or somethings led to this. What that is, well, is unclear.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:03 am
I don’t know what the truth is but if I was a player I’d be highly upset if I felt I had a physical injury and the coaching staff insisted I still play. This after going through surgery, walking around in a boot, and going through all the physical therapy. Forget what team doctors say. When you know something isn’t right with you physically, you know.
I’m not saying the Bucs did this but I’d be surprised if they did.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:09 am
AB was told to leave, acted like a fool then got cut for his actions. Everyone is injured. You think Godwin wouldn’t play with a little ankle discomfort.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:11 am
If this is true and that’s why AB left, and Arians just fired a guy because he didn’t feel right… Arians woulda screwed up big time. This dude woulda screwed the team so bad if that is true.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:12 am
The Bucs should definitely beef up security and not let AB into the building. This episode isn’t a tragedy, yet.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:12 am
I said it before, I’ll say it again: While I have no information, I’m 100% sure there is more to this story. My hunch is that Arians never wanted Antonio Brown back after the vax card incident and made no secret of it to Licht. Arians probably baited him repeatedly, and Brown being the thin-skinned idiot finally took the bait and acted out.
This isn’t to excuse Brown, but there’s more to this story.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:12 am
I think the fact that he released a song yesterday shows that this whole thing might have been premeditated by AB for attention. Idk for sure of course. He ran a couple of wrong routes in the first half, there’s a shot of Brady yelling at him on the sideline and he looked apathetic, then he goes crazy and releases a single right after. All that extra attention probably led to more downloads of his song which seems crazy but it’s Antonio Brown we’re talking about here.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:13 am
Just look at this Ahole’s history, and compare it to the honorable history of EVERY OTHER PERSON INVOLVED!!! I’m guessing Arians is regretting not keeping his October promise.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:15 am
Maybe his ankle was bothering him, maybe not but what he did was not the way to go. I don’t think BA or any coaches would have tried to make him play if his ankle was hurting. There is definitely more to this story & I hope the fans find out the real reason behind his departure.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:18 am
He’s suffering from Burfictitis.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:21 am
Agree that info is sketchy. Players limp off all the time and we get a pretty quick report saying that the player’s return is “questionable.” Never saw any limping from AB. More will be coming out soon.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:21 am
Who cares? He’s gone. I wish I could virtue signal and say “I hope he gets the help he needs.” I honestly don’t care. There’s too many problems in the world to pretend to empathize with a rich man in his 30s who has thrown away every opportunity and is an objectively awful human being. I’m glad the Bucs extracted some value out of him for cheap. But he’s more of a carbohydrate than a protein. While everyone in the comments wants to diagnose him with CTE, I would suggest Borderline Personality Disorder. His behavior fits perfectly with the criteria.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:23 am
It sounds to me that there are a lot of people in the media trying to coax the Bucs in to releasing a public explanation about the incident by throwing dung around until some one gets upset and want to clean all the dung up.
Personally I think Brown was running to many wrong routs and was benched.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:25 am
Our team has two very predictable players (Brown and Rojo). It’s hard to say we are better without AB but we could be a more complete team. Paging OJ Howard.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:26 am
I think BA looked like a grumpy bastard out there and was probably trying to push AB into doing some thing he didn’t feel he was ready to do I heard he didn’t practice all week with the team? I honestly think they jumped the gun on this one and then a B feels attacked by the media and everyone else so of course he’s going to be sensitive when his coach goes at him sideways 😩 this sucks
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:27 am
Not sure what the story is but this appears to be habitual with this team. First Gronk was aged too early, Godwin running up and down the sidelines and LVD put back in the game. If AB told them his ankle wasn’t right and he was willing to forfeit $1MM in incentives and all the coaches wanted to do was win the game? This outcome is going to be interesting.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:28 am
Maybe Ira can call up Arians and ask him about it in between colonoscopy stories.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:28 am
I am afraid of Tom will leave after this season. He will recruit AB for his new team.
As a research teacher, I am usually more carefully when communicating with students who may has some mental issues.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:30 am
Why do you keep censoring my comments? I’m not being vulgar or racist or conspiracy-minded. I don’t care about his stupid ankle or his mental health. It’s not my job to pretend to empathize. He’s a grown man in his 30s who has been given more opportunities than 99% of the population and squandered all of them. Feel bad for the people who never get opportunities. If people want to diagnose him with something, instead of CTE look at Borderline Personality Disorder.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:31 am
Usually the simplest most obvious explanation is the correct explanation.
Brown was benched for running wrong routes and he did not like that.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:33 am
Majority of NFL players are hurt and playing now. That’s a part of the game. That isn’t an excuse in football standards. If you can’t play, then don’t do what AB did. That was ridiculous. I’ve defended AB. This is indefensible and sad. If AB was really hurt, then go in the game test your ankle that play. If it’s bad, then lay on the ground for medical attention like everyone else. SMH.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:35 am
Yup, more to the story.
My highly-refined and tuned BS Detector indicates some AB CYA.
Besides, unless he was pumped with adrenalin, he didn’t look “hurt” doing calisthenics going off the field.
There is something organically wrong with Brown’s brain. He was never the same after that Burfict head smash.
And I don’t hear f any teammates coming to his defense beyond Brady’s “have compassion for the guy and hope he gets help.”
That said, wow, what a talent. The perfect example is that one play Sunday where he turned a CB trying to cover him into a pretzel with subtle moves.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:38 am
Remember the time when Bobby Boucher came back at halftime and the Mud Dawgs won the Bourbon Bowl?
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:39 am
Ankle looked pretty strong good as he pranced through the end zone on his way out.
He’s been rehabbing said ankle since week 6, which is a little sketchy if you ask me. Broken leg only takes 8-10 weeks to mend.
He’s gone and he should be. Hope he gets the help he needs for his mental health.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:39 am
Odd, but not hard. Don’t think of this as logical people having discourse. Brown has apparently not thought logically for quite some time. If he tweaked his ankle during the game, did he report it? Brown may have been in the midst of an uncooperative manic episode and doing and saying things unacceptable to anyone, and the team was trying to win a football game. At that point they probably once and for all had enough…as now he was dragging his “head” into games.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:40 am
C’mon, a light jog and a few jumps cannot be compared to running an NFL route. Still, it’s not a good look.
The sad thing here that everyone but you seems to be missing is that what we witnessed was a mental breakdown on live TV in front of the world to see. When someone has serious mental issues they literally cannot help themselves. The Bucs did the right thing in cutting him though.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:41 am
BillyBob, you don’t bench your #1 receiver because he ran a few bad routes. Especially a player that’s known for running precision routes. The shat is going to hit the fan, we will find out this is a premadona player facing off with a over the hill old man coach both with NO filter. BA told him he was done and AB said FU and stormed off in AB fashion.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:43 am
Here’s your “missing information” Joe (my previous attempt that included the link was deleted). Ahole’s BROTHER knows what happened. Desmond Brown, 31, told the Daily Caller that he thinks the NFL star left the game in such a manner “because he wanted to get those incentives and realized it wasn’t going to happen.”
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:45 am
Passingthru
Disappointed in that take. Too much like RodMunchANon for me.
We know Brady wanted him back.
He had 10 catches for 100 last week, so this week in the middle of a game BA decided to screw him out of incentives, potentially pissing off his QB?
That makes no sense.
Not to mention AB has a history of flipping the F*ck out. Gonna have to side with the players coach on this one. BA didn’t try and screw Mike Edwards did he?
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:47 am
Terry Bradshaw…..“Put him in a straitjacket and take him to some hospital”
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:49 am
Who cares what happened?!?! The fact is he quit on the Bucs. F him. Next man up!
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:50 am
If any of you show up for work, and then decline to actually work, you would be terminated, suspended, sent home, etc. if you had a horrible history of unacceptable behavior at every other place you’ve worked and you were warned when hired that your employer has zero tolerance for any antics out of you, yet in spite of this you violate the law and company rules then lie about it, you would be fired. If despite this they gave you yet another chance and you refuse to work, you should be fired.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:51 am
Maybe now Grayson & Johnson become the Cinderella Story.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:51 am
We will probably get the full story on this RIGHT AFTER we get the full story on Josh Freeman.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:52 am
That POS Brown made many of us who defended hom look like a fool. I still can’t believe what went down on national TV. Just utterly insane.
FU Antonio.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:53 am
There is a degree of difference in injured and hurt. Injured players should not be on the field if it is a risk to their long term career. Hence injured reserve or players not dressed or playing. This time of year most players are hurting and play through it.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:53 am
A sad end to a storied career
Hopefully, he gets the help he so obviously needs
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:01 am
I don’t buy the idea that he thought he wasn’t going to get the incentives. He needed one touchdown to get one of the incentives. He had 6 quarters of football left to get one touchdown. Did he forget that there was another week of football left?
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:02 am
That ankle seemed ok when he was doing jumping jacks in the endzone
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:07 am
I think the source is Brown, and is at least partly fabricated.
It’s pretty clear Brown was not actually injured…not by the way Brown moved as he was leaving.
The whole report paints Brown as a victim.
My theory? Brown was having a hissy fit during the game, was warned at halftime, and then yanked from the game because of it. This led to the final tantrum.
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:10 am
So far as incentives, if Brown was yanked from the game to rest him (snap count) he still had a week left. He could still have gotten the incentives.
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:11 am
Scotty, it’s only January 3rd but this is already the best comment for all of 2022!
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:12 am
don’t believe it for a minute. BA was punishing AB with not letting him shoot for his bonuses and AB lost it.
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:13 am
I am quite certain this is on AB……his history(Histryonics) are the proof……No way he was injured and they wanted him back in…….
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:15 am
AB came to win a SB and stayed to win another. As soon as he decided that wasn’t going to happen this year he packed it in. Likely as simple as that.
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:17 am
I don’ know but I think we may have gotten a little insight into his mental state from the press interview the prior week after the Panthers game. He was unhinged and unresponsive to the vax card thing but something underneath was stirring and about ready to blow. As far as the condition of his ankle, he sure didn’t have any trouble with it when he was running off the field shirtless and jumping up and down to the jeers/cheers from the crowd. It looked perfectly healthy to me.
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:19 am
The more you look into it, this has to be on the team. BA says he refuse to play, so I ask why? AB claims his ankle isn’t right. If AB who has been know his entire career as a baller and still has to prove himself to coaches, fans and most of all the media not play if he could not to mention the $1MM he loses in incentives? So either BA wanted him to play injured or they were keeping him from his incentives by not playing him. Remember he didn’t practice the last two days prior to the game. I can’t see how any other conclusions could be made. So.in my mind AB has a right to be pissed but the antics were over the top. Was BA trying to push his buttons? Tom Brady seemed awful sympathetic for a guy that quit on him. Somethings not right.
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:22 am
Considering this version of events is coming from a national source (Rapoport) you can bet the farm “Oily Drew Rosenhaus” has his fingerprints all over this narrative.
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:23 am
Anyone with a third of brain can see AB has mental problems, yes he needs help but his actions yesterday are inexcusable you don’t ever quit on your teammates. To the couple of people defending him, y’all sound very stupid. Hopefully Brown doesn’t beat up his movers or any women on his way out of Tampa. Like the Big Dog used to say, AMF!!
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:26 am
That AB drops a song right after shows he was ready for this
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:27 am
They prolly wanted to give him the needle an he did not want it. As I said this is very fishy.
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:30 am
@Cobra
I couldn’t agree more. AB’s head is messed up and people have known it for quite awhile. But I also agree with you that he is an IMPRESSIVE athlete. He runs AMAZING routes, is physically gifted with great hands, he is the man at WR.
And when you’re that good at anything…ask Elvis…you can get away with a LOT.
Sadly AB wasn’t really “getting away” he was simply postponing the inevitable.
He reminds me a lot of Lawrence Phillips. Just as AB is one of the best WR’s I’ve seen, Phillips was a great RB. But like AB his “issues” shortened his career.
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:38 am
I will be glad when everything about this situation becomes public.
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:39 am
As they say three strikes and you’re out Antonio quit on the Raiders has had various legal issues and pulled a crazy stunt in front of a nationwide TV audience and full stadium so for anyone to give him the benefit of the doubt Man the last time I go in front of a judge in traffic court I would like you to be passing judgment on me
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:41 am
The thing about a person’s history, is you can do the wrongthing and then point to that person’s history and make them look like they are wrong. BA could’ve handled it differently, AB took the bait – BA has pulled guys off the field before and fed somrthing different to the media as if our eyes can’t see.
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:52 am
He left the field because BA threw him off the team during the game. If you were fired do you go back to your desk or work station?
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:53 am
I know we’re not supposed to talk about the draft before the end of the season, but this year is different.
WR
CB
DT
TE
DE
OL
Not in this order and based on your thoughts of FA and trades(?). I know it’s a lot to think about but we gotta get another Licht home run.
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:56 am
SOEbuc,
RB has to be in there somewhere. Fournette will likely not be here next year and RoJo is not the future.
January 3rd, 2022 at 11:03 am
Jmarkbuc
I’m disappointed that Antonio Brown turned the game into a clown show, and pretty much reduced the Buc chances of a Super Bowl Championship from slim to none… and slim just left town.
I just have a gut feeling that there was an ongoing battle between AB and Arians. I don’t think AB is easily controlled, but I do think it is very easy to push AB into being out of control. I think AB kept crossing the line and it got to the point where Arians just nudged him over it.
The problem is of course is that Antonio Brown likes to abuse people once he feels that he has power. That’s why he screws people financially, and what made him worse in Tampa Bay was when the team increased their reliance on him this season. That led to increased friction between Brown and Arians as well as the rest of that coaching staff. Arians probably had enough of it on Sunday, and gave Brown that final push to send him over the edge. That’s all it takes with Antonio Brown, he has no ability to control his impulses.
Arians was sending strong signals that he didn’t want AB, and I’m sure he especially didn’t want him after AB got both himself and Edwards suspended. Antonio Brown knew he was dead man walking on this team, that he wouldn’t be re-signed, and he was going to make sure to make Arians life miserable on the way out.
In an ideal world, Arians would have found a way to deal with him as the team needed AB to make an extended postseason run.
January 3rd, 2022 at 11:19 am
Glad the nutcase is gone. He humiliated the team on national TV. Bad ankle? Really? Pretty agile with the jumping jacks.
January 3rd, 2022 at 11:20 am
Always come here to ramp up the humor meter.
I agree with those who say he quit on the team. No matter the circumstances, that cannot be denied. C’est la vie!
The fun starts with those who embrace unproven scenarios.
Half from this group are convinced Brown was angry for being sidelined to prevent him from reaching his contract incentives. The other half are convinced BA was attempting to force him to play hurt. These two takes could not be more diametrically opposed. So … which one is it?
A dummy like me does not make claims without proof. Call me old fashioned, or possibly a reflective thinker.
Back to the “in the know” goon squad: Any more wild prognostications from the peanut gallery?
January 3rd, 2022 at 11:26 am
My guess:
AB was fed up with going out on the field and running perfect routes that never amounted to sh!t; he would not get thrown the ball exactly when he thought he should. (why he is mad at Brady too) he was afraid of hurting his ankle or it already was hurt and he did not want to make it worse running routes on a bullsh!t team like the Jets that we were losing too. He was giving serious pushback to the offensive coaches who did not take time to placate him as we were losing bad. and then he he snapped.
January 3rd, 2022 at 11:33 am
JA, it appears you do share your opinion, I was under the impression that BA and assistant coaches threw him off the team. Your rebuttal will be he didn’t want to play, once again your opinion because I could rebut he knows his body and felt he couldn’t after all he did not practice the two days before and he gave up a possible $1MM. So where is the humor in this?
January 3rd, 2022 at 11:38 am
D-Rome
True that on RB, but I won’t say first round like everyone does every year. I guess I did make it too difficult putting in FA and trades (?). Lenny is someone I see getting paid, though. Perfect year to trade Donovan Smith and Cam Brate (if Brady says so). GODWIN IS A MUST KEEP FOR THIS TEAMS FUTURE!!!
January 3rd, 2022 at 12:57 pm
Whatever it was, it’s on AB. Arians never wanted that headache but put up with him as long as he was helping the team. Once he refused, there’s no more use for him.
January 3rd, 2022 at 1:03 pm
At the end of the day the only thing that is clear, is AB did exactly what he wanted to do. And he is the only one to blame, Do I feel sad for him, yeah but he basically gave a finger to the coaches and teammates, especially TB who went to bat for him.
January 3rd, 2022 at 1:53 pm
The ankle argument is a non starter for me. If he was seriously hurt it he would have been held out. Do people not remember ROJO was left out of the game for an ankle injury. Also don’t believe it has anything to do with incentives because I can guarantee Tom Brady knew what Brown needed and would have made sure he got his touches.
Lets not forget how long he was out prior and with the suspension so he had 9 weeks to heal up. Heck Mike Evans played with a tweaked hamstring and we all know the issues he has had in his career with those. This goes to the fact that he was not running the correct plays yesterday and got called out. When he probably got told to go back in because they wanted him to get on the right page with Tom he threw his normal fit that he has done every where else he has been. His record speaks for himself I happened to want to see the guy succeed just like Josh Gordon because talent like theirs is something you wanted to see on the field.