Antonio Brown opens up on chaotic end to NFL career and New York Jets tantrum
Antonio Brown's final game in the NFL was spectacular for all the wrong reasons, storming off the field in a shirtless rant at the Meadowlands that brought an end to a turbulent yet hugely productive career.
The former Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver was one of the best pass-catchers of his generation, winning a Super Bowl and being named First-team All-Pro four seasons running from 2014-17. At his peak, the 34-year-old put up league-leading numbers in receptions, yards and touchdowns, but his career ended in embarrassing fashion in early 2022.
In the third quarter of a Week 17 clash with the New York Jets, then-Tampa Bay receiver Brown took off his jersey and pads and stormed off to the locker room. After the game, head coach Bruce Arians told reporters Brown was "No longer a Buc".
It later emerged that Brown had refused to go onto the field when asked by Arians and the player was released on January 6, shortly after he claimed the Buccaneers had not handled an ankle injury correctly.
In an appearance on Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill's Cheetah Podcast, Brown had his say on his final appearance on an NFL field, claiming the Buccaneers "treated him like a dog".
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"We (were) about to play the Jets and I am already hurt," he said. "So I took pictures to send to the coach and told him 'Look, If we're going to win the Super Bowl I'm going to need to take these last two weeks to recover up so I can give you my best when we go to win the Super Bowl, but the coach called me saying that I wasn't resting.
Former NFL star turned-rapper Antonio Brown performed at Rolling Loud Los Angeles in March. (Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)"So then Tom (Brady) called me and told me he'd hit me with 10-12 (passes), so he gassed me up, and that's all I needed to hear. But you know as a player, if you f***** up but your team needs you then you just suck it up for the game and for the team.
"I already know they were being fake to me the whole team I was there. I got suspended (for breaking Covid-19 rules) and I came back and they had some guys hurt, so they wanted to get everything out of me – they treated me like I'm a dog.
"I come to play in the game, I'm hurt and they're not trying to put me in a good position. I wasn't out there to hurt myself, I wanted to help them win by getting the ball. They didn't wanna throw me the ball or work with me and they were acting like I'm crazy."
Since the end of his NFL career, which was officially confirmed earlier this year when he announced his retirement, Brown's behaviour has spiralled. His Snapchat account was suspended in January after he posted explicit images with a woman, among other controversies.
The latest concerns his ownership of arena football team Albany Empire, which Brown acquired in March. The team was expelled from the National Arenal League on June 15 due to Brown's failure to pay the league fees and fines that he owed.
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