Buccaneers WR Antonio Brown Refuses to Discuss Suspension

Antonio Brown was not willing to discuss his suspension for misrepresenting his COVID-19 vaccination status following Tampa Bay's victory over Carolina.

Antonio Brown was targeted on half of Tom Brady's 30 throws in Sunday's 32-6 victory over the Carolina Panthers. He caught ten of those passes for team-leading 101 yards as the Buccaneers cruised to their first NFC South divisional title since 2007.

That's all Brown wants to talk about. He'll cut you off if you as much as mention why it was a surprise to see him perform so well after missing the Buccaneers' last eight games.

The first five were due to an ankle injury, while the last three were the result of a suspension jointly handed down by the NFL and NFL Players Association for using a fake COVID-19 vaccine card to misrepresent his immunization status. The suspension was the product of a thorough review that was tipped off by a report written by Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times in November.

After answering a few questions about his performance, in which Brown said "I'm just grateful, that's all I can say," ESPN's Jenna Laine mentioned how head coach Bruce Arians offered Brown one chance to not "screw up" off the field in order to remain on the team when he signed in 2020. 

Laine proceeded to ask what it meant to Brown for Arians to reconsider his warning and stand behind him but could not finish her question before being interrupted by Brown.

"Next question, next question. We just want to talk about this game. You know, we don't want to waste no time with you guys writing bogus," Brown exclaimed.

Laine reminded Brown that this was his first meeting with media since the NFL handed down his suspension, indicating that the media could, rightfully, ask him about the controversy. 

The false vaccination status coming to light was, certainly not the first time Brown was in the headlines for off-field misconduct (including accusations of sexual assault, felony burglary of a vehicle, misdemeanor battery, and so on, leading to settlements and no-contest pleadings) throughout his NFL career, prompting Arians' initial comment.

But Brown was not having it.

"Yeah, but I don't want to talk about that," Brown said. "You guys is all drama, it's all about football. We just talk about Carolina or I don't want to talk to you guys."

Press members continued to ask Brown about the suspension, however. Greg Auman of The Athletic asked Brown if there was a point in which Brown felt he may not be welcomed back by the team. Grinning before answering, Brown was a bit milder in his response but continued to berate the media for simply reporting on the actions he had taken.

"I'm just here to do my job, man. I can't control what people write, how people try to frame me or try to bring me down. And, life is about obstacles and persevering and doing what's right so you get the right outcome. So, I'm standing here before you guys, grateful, humble, thankful and excited to be a part of a big win with my teammates. It's not about what I did, it's about what all the guys in there did, collectively, together, and that's it."

Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times innocently asked, reminding Brown that he had not spoken with media in some time, what he was dealing with physically in regards to his earlier-season injury: Was it his foot? His heel? Something else?

Brown responded as if he was asked about the suspension instead of the topic at hand.

"It's a lot of drama. A lot of drama you guys create, a lot of drama that people create who want stuff from me, you know?" Brown accusingly said.

"But that's just a part of life. It's a part of being in the position that I'm in. I can't control what people want from me, I can't control what people write about me, I can't control what people say about me. All I can do is get up every day, be the best person I can be, and when I get a chance to do my job, do my job the best way I can do it. And that's where we're at today."

The suspension is behind Brown, and it is behind the Buccaneers. As seen on Sunday, Tampa Bay values what Brown brings to their offense, and as Arians said earlier in the week, he doesn't "give a s---" what criticism he receives for bringing Brown back.

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