Antonio Brown Accuses Bucs of Ankle Injury ‘Cover-Up’ in Lengthy Statement

In a lengthy statement released Wednesday night, Brown said the Bucs pressured him to play through an injury.

Shortly after his lawyer released a statement decrying the Bucs for pressuring him to play with an injury, Antonio Brown released a statement accusing the team of executing an “ongoing cover-up,” saying he was actually cut from the Bucs before leaving the field against the Jets on Sunday.

Statement from Antonio Brown via his attorney ⁦@seanburstyn⁩: pic.twitter.com/pJ3VGFBjSy

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 6, 2022

Brown said that he relented when pressured by a coach to play with an ankle injury, and was injected with what he describes as a “powerful and sometimes dangerous painkiller.” When the pain became too much and limited his performance, Brown said he exited the game and sat on the sideline, where he claims he was admonished by a coach to return to the field.

“I told him, ‘It’s my ankle.’ But he knew that. It was well-documented and we had discussed it,” Brown wrote. “He then ordered me to get on the field. I said, ‘Coach, I can’t.’ He didn’t call for medical attention. Instead, he shouted at me, ’YOU’RE DONE!’ while he ran his finger across his throat. Coach was telling me that if I didn’t play hurt, then I was done with the Bucs.”

After the game, Bucs coach Bruce Arians said Brown made no mention of an injury before leaving the field, a claim that Brown said Wednesday was “100% inaccurate.” Brown said that, in addition to missing several games with the injury, he and Arians exchanged text messages before the game in which Arians acknowledged the injury, and that Bucs general manager Jason Licht also was aware.

Brown acknowledged while he was frustrated as he left the field with the way the game was going, the treatment from the coaching staff is what ultimately led to his decision.

“Yes, [I] walked off the field. But there’s a major difference between launching from the line and taking hits, compared to jogging off the field with a rush of emotions going through your mind," Brown wrote. "I am reflecting on my reaction, but there was a trigger. The trigger was someone telling me that I’m not allowed to feel pain. I acknowledge my past. But my past does not make me a second class citizen. My past does not forfeit my right to be heard when I am in pain."

In a separate statement, Brown’s lawyer said that the wide receiver underwent an MRI on Monday, which revealed bone and ligament damage that would require surgery. He also denied that Brown's actions had anything to do with a mental health issue.

“I gave the Bucs everything I had on the field. What the organization is doing now needs to get cleaned up,” Brown said. “I do not understand how people publicly claiming to be concerned about my mental health can do these things to me in private.”

• All Bucs: Bucs 'Optimistic' About Leonard Fournette's Postseason Availability

For more coverage on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, check out All Bucs.