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Antonio Brown Releases Statement, Text Messages From Bruce Arians

Antonio Brown tells his side of the story for leaving in the middle of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game.

Noah Strackbein

In this story:

Antonio Brown wants his side of the story to be told about what happened in Week 17 when he left midway through the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets game. 

Brown exited in the third quarter after removing his uniform on the sideline and jogging into the tunnel. Afterward, reports claimed Brown was told to leave after refusing to play due to health concerns. However, head coach Bruce Arians denied those reports. 

"It was very hard," Arians said about Browns' exit in Week 17. "I wish him well. If he needs help, I hope he gets some. It's very hard. Because I do care about him.

"I care about him a bunch. I hope that he's OK."

Brown has since released a lengthy statement telling his side of the story, accusing the Buccaneers of trying to force him to play through an ankle injury that requires surgery to heal. 

"I took a seat on the sideline and my coach came up to me, very upset, and shouted, 'What's wrong with you? What's wrong with you?' I told him, 'It's my ankle.' But he knew that. It was well-documented and we had discussed it," Brown said. "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."

"I know we were losing to the Jets and that was frustrating for all of us. But I could not make football plays on that ankle," Brown continued. "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. 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."

Brown claimed the Bucs tried to force him to get a second opinion on the injury after he had already scheduled surgery to have it repaired. He first suffered the injury in Week 6. 

"You can see the bone bulging from the outside. But that must and can be repaired," Brown said. "The MRI has been read by two top orthopedic surgeons in NYC, including Dr. Martin O'Malley at Hospital for Special Surgery. Not realizing that I had already scheduled a surgery at HSS, the Bucs 'ordered' me under penalty of discipline and with a few hours' notice to show up to a more junior doctor at HSS for another opinion."

In the statement, Brown also said he's now on painkiller that he has been advised of the risks of through the NFLPA, and said he played as long and as hard has he could on the injury. 

"I make mistakes. I'm working on myself and I have positive influences around me," Brown said. "But one thing I don't do is shy away from playing hard on the field. No one can accuse me of not giving it my all every play.

"Because of my commitment to the game, I relented to pressure directly from my coach to play injured. Despite the pain, I suited up, the staff injected me with what I now know was a powerful and sometimes dangerous painkiller that the NFLPA has warned against using, and I gave it my all for the team. I played until it was clear that I could not use my ankle to safely perform my playing responsibilities."

Brown also released text messages between he and Arians prior to the game. 

Check out Brown's entire statement here.

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Noah Strackbein
NOAH STRACKBEIN

Noah is the Publisher for All Steelers, Inside the Panthers (InsideThePanthers.com) and Inside the Penguins (InsidethePenguins.com), and is the host of All Steelers Talk (YouTube.com/AllSteelersTalk). A Scranton native, Noah made his way to the Pittsburgh sports scene in 2017. Now, he's pretty much full-yinzer.

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