Antonio Brown lets Tom Brady off the hook, deflects blame entirely on Bruce Arians
It has only been a few days since the Antonio Brown meltdown, and the fallout from his exit may only be getting started.
His act of taking off his shoulder pads and leaving the stadium shirtless while waving to the crowd has been a mystery, but he has since made a few statements.
One statement exonerates Tom Brady and his teammates of any blame while focusing on Bruce Arians.
Antonio Brown's statement saves Brady, annihilates Bruce Arians
Brown's recent statement was posted on his official Twitter account. In less than 280 characters, the wide receiver gave Brady a pass and pointed the finger at head coach Bruce Arians.
Don’t get it twisted. My brothers have been good to me. From Tom to practice squad, we were a top-level unit. They have been good to me and knew nothing about my talks with coach last week. The team mishandled this situation. They let me down and, more importantly, my teammates.
The tweet makes it clear that he had no problems with the players on the team. He had massive problems with management and how they handled the "situation," as Brown puts it.
This includes but is not limited to Bruce Arians.
What was the "situation," according to Brown?
In the days following Brown's sudden exit, the wide receiver came forward with his own version of events. The reason for leaving wasn't because of a mental breakdown, money issues, or playing time.
According to a statement made through his attorney, Brown was asked to play injured.
Statement from Antonio Brown via his attorney @seanburstyn: https://t.co/pJ3VGFBjSy
According to the statement, the former All-Pro receiver wasn't feeling good enough to play, but the coaching staff told him to get in the game anyway.
He says he was injected with a pain-killing drug before the game but still wasn't able to feel good enough to play.
As such, he sat on the sideline. That's when a coach came up to him and gave him an ultimatum to get in the game or he was done as a Buccaneer.
Brown refused and the coach ran his fingers across his throat, yelling Brown was "done." The ex-Steeler says there were texts between him and the coaching staff before the game acknowledging the ankle injury.
He essentially proceeded to call the situation a cover-up and points the finger specifically at Bruce Arians, saying the coach lied on national television.
Brown also says he will be going in for surgery on the ankle and is looking forward to next season.
Of course, if there is a formal hearing or a lawsuit on this, the texts and any video evidence of the coach running his fingers across his throat would go a long way in helping to clear Brown's name.
Without any proof, the outburst could easily be lumped in with the various antics in his past in the opinions of those who hire players in the NFL.