National Football League

Antonio Brown: Bucs cut wideout, Brown says team ignored injury

Updated Jan. 6, 2022 2:33 p.m. ET

The Antonio Brown saga remains in full swing, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers officially released Brown on Thursday.

The release stems from Sunday's game against the New York Jets, when Brown stripped off his uniform and exited the field midgame during Tampa Bay's 28-24 comeback victory.

'I've never seen anything like that' - Daryl Johnston on Antonio Brown's actions

Chris Myers and Daryl Johnston discuss Antonio Brown's actions during Sunday's Buccaneers-Jets game.

According to FOX Sports' Jay Glazer, Brown's exit came after he refused to go into the game at head coach Bruce Arians' request.

After the refusal, Arians told Brown to "get out."

And now, following multiple days of speculation, Brown has told his side of things, beginning with a statement that was released via his lawyer on Wednesday night in which he says an ankle injury prevented him from competing further on Sunday.

In the statement, Brown accused the Buccaneers of pressuring him to play through injury, claiming that he told head coach Bruce Arians, "Coach, I can't [play]," to which Arians responded, "You're done."

Brown also accused the Bucs of improperly labeling his outburst as a "mental health issue" rather than being unable to play due to pain for his ankle injury, which will require surgery.

Following the game, Arians denied having any knowledge that Brown was injured. When asked if Brown told him he was injured, Arians said, "No."

The Bucs then released a statement on Thursday regarding Brown's release.

But that wasn't the only message that was delivered on Thursday.

On Thursday morning, Brown tweeted several screenshots of what appear to be text messages between him and Arians from Thursday, Dec. 30, and Friday, Dec. 31, leading up to this past Sunday's game.

In another Twitter post, Brown mentions that there was no ill-will toward his teammates and that they weren't aware of his alleged conversation with Arians leading up to Sunday's game.

"Don't get it twisted. My brothers have been good to me. From Tom [Brady] to practice squad, we were a top-level unit," Brown said … "The team mishandled this situation. They let me down and, more importantly, my teammates."

Brown also took to Instagram and posted what appears to be a text conversation between himself and Alex Guerrero, Tom Brady's partner and trainer.

After the morning slate of social media statements and screenshots, Arians spoke to the media on Thursday, addressing Brown's release and outlining why Brown left the field on Sunday.

"At no point in time during that game did [Brown] ever ask the trainer or doctor about his ankle. … That was the disturbing thing when we were looking for him to go back into the game. He was very upset at halftime about who was getting targeted.

"We called for the personnel group that he had played in the entire game. He refused to go in the game. … I approached him about what was going on. [He said], ‘I ain’t playing.' [I asked], ‘What’s going on?' [He said], ‘I ain’t getting the ball.' That's when I said, ‘You’re done. Get the f outta here.' And that's the end of it."

Shannon Sharpe discussed Brown's Wednesday statement on Thursday morning's edition of "Undisputed."

"It doesn't change a whole lot because it doesn't change what transpired after the fact," Sharpe said. "Let's just say for the sake of argument everything that AB said is true ... explain the exit. There is no explanation for why you did what you did."

Shannon Sharpe reacts to Antonio Brown's statement on sudden exit and sideline incident vs. Jets I UNDISPUTED

Shannon Sharpe discusses how much he believes in Antonio Brown's statement surrounding his reasoning for his outburst and sudden exit from Sunday's game.

Chris Broussard shared his thoughts on the matter on "First Things First," agreeing with Sharpe that Brown should have handled his exit better, even if he was injured, adding in that it's hard to believe Brown's side of things based on his past behavior.

"AB has no credibility … zero. His track record of behaving with high character is nonexistent. … We are not just going to believe AB off of what he says. … I am, however, open to hearing both sides of the story."

Despite his actions on Sunday, the NFL has said that Brown won't be disciplined for his on-field departure.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.