In a surreal scene, Bucs' Antonio Brown walks off shirtless during game
Buccaneers' Antonio Brown abruptly leaves field after tossing his shirt during the third quarter of a game against the Jets on Jan. 2. Credit: NJ Advance Media via AP/Andrew Mills
Antonio Brown came to Tampa Bay with a lot of baggage, and he accumulated more after arriving. But in his final moments with the Buccaneers on Sunday, he was traveling light.
The controversial 33-year-old receiver removed the top half of his uniform on the sideline and left the field late in the third quarter of the defending Super Bowl champions’ 28-24 win over the Jets at MetLife Stadium.
He pulled off his white No. 81 jersey and shoulder pads and tossed them. Then he began walking, took off his undershirt and his gloves, and threw those items toward the stands.
Then he headed into the end zone shirtless and began flinging his arms in the air at the fans before holding up the left one as he trotted away and disappeared into the tunnel.
Shortly after the game, coach Bruce Arians made it known that Brown basically had been fired.
"He is no longer a Buc," he said. "That’s the end of the story."
Brown made three catches for 26 yards. A report by the team’s radio network said Arians benched Brown before the receiver’s demonstration. Fox’s Jay Glazer, however, reported that Arians told him that Brown declined to re-enter the game, and that after a repeated attempt failed, Arians told Brown "to get out," in Glazer’s words.
"I only saw it after the game," Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley said of the situation. "It’s crazy what happened."
Receiver Mike Evans was seen trying to settle down Brown before the disrobing and departing happened.
"I think everybody should hopefully do what they can to help him in ways that he really needs it," Tom Brady said. "We all love him. We care about him deeply. We want to see him be at his best, and unfortunately it won’t be with our team, but we have a lot of friendships that will last.
"I think everyone should be very compassionate and empathetic toward some very difficult things that are happening."
Brown has had several problems with his teams and has had legal issues, too. When he joined Tampa Bay in October 2020, Arians immediately put him on notice.
But Arians kept Brown after the NFL gave the 12th-year pro a three-game suspension last month for misrepresenting his vaccine status with a fake vaccination card. This was his second game back.
"Overall, he’s a good person," said Bucs running back Le’Veon Bell, who relayed that he texted and talked with his close friend afterward. "Obviously, he’s had some bad decision-making sometimes. He’s human. He’s not perfect. We’ll continue to move on without him and keep moving forward."
