On January 5th, the sports world exploded, not from a crazy upset or a player setting arecord, but about from a five minute timespan during the game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New York Jets. When former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wide Receiver Antonio Brown walked off the field during the third quarter of their matchup against the New York Jets, Brown seemed to somewhat entice the crowd to cheer as he walked away from the Buccaneers sideline. This was after Brown proceeded to take off both his jersey and shoulder pads and jog off the field while waving at the crowd of MetLife Stadium. 

When asked how he thinks this outburst will affect Brown’s career, senior Matthew Lynch said, ‘’I feel this won’t impact him too much as there are way too many differing sides of the story; however, due to his track record I feel it will be difficult for him to get another shot with another team next season.’’

These types of problems have become somewhat familiar when talking of the former All-Pro Receiver.In his final season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was fined for making an Instagram Live video in the locker room, before signing with the Oakland Raiders where he was released for missing training camps. He bounced around to the Patriots and then finally getting signed by the Buccaneers, and what seems to be the last straw happened this season. Firstly, Brown was suspended for showing a fake vaccination card, and then his outburst against the Jets left many to wonder what led to this and who’s to blame. This is where the story gets interesting.

Both Brown and the staff of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have shared different sides of the story which vary wildly from each other. After the game against the Jets, Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians noted that he saw Brown not getting up from the bench to go into the game, where he went over to the receiver and said, “You’re done. Get the F out of here.” Many have speculated this reaction was likely due to Arians being fed up with certain antics that Brown has been known for. 

The story truly gets interesting when we hear Brown’s side of the story in which he released a lengthy two page explanation of what led to him walking off the field in the middle of the game via his Instagram a few days after the game. He said, “I didn’t quit, I was cut. I didn’t walk away from my brothers. I was thrown out,” Brown said. “Being fired on the sideline for having a painful injury was bad enough.” This came after Brown said that Arians and the staff of the Buccaneers knew that he was dealing with an ankle injury which an MRI revealed the injury included broken bone fragments, a ligament torn from the bone and cartilage loss, which Brown said was excruciatingly painful. This led to Arians going over to Brown when he wouldn’t enter the game and telling him that he was done.

This has left many confused  who to believe, with the majority just wanting more information that we’ll likely never get.  Many theorize that Brown  has CTE, which is degeneration of the brain that is usually caused by repeated head traumas. During a podcast Brown was on he was asked whether he has CTE in which he responded with, “CTE, you can’t scan a person for CTE ’til they’re dead, first off.” While Brown may dismiss having CTE, This is what many lean towards to explain these so called ‘’outbursts’’ that the wide receiver has become known for having. Brown has had run ins with hits to the head as well as concussions which over time could have developed into CTE. 

This story and Antonio Brown are likely not over, as we still hear about him often whether he’s clowning on the Buccaneers for losing in the playoffs or just speaking whatever is on his mind through his social media. It’s likely this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Brown on the football field as a receiver of Brown’s talents is unlikely to be watching the games on Sundays on his couch. Yet, there’s still many people pushing the narrative that he does in fact have CTE and that he gets the help that he needs to manage it. No matter what it is Brown’s story is likely far from over.