"You're done, get the f**k outta here" - Bruce Arians goes off on Antonio Brown in brutally honest press conference
The Antonio Brown saga continued on Thursday as both he and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers shared their sides of the story. Brown decided to share some text messages between himself and Bruce Arians, while the head coach addressed the media in a rare move following the release of the Buccaneers wide receiver.
But there are two sides to every story and the Buccaneers are coming out in full force Thursday. Arians had a lot to say and offered insight into what happened on the sidelines in last Sunday's game.
Bruce Arians explains in detail what happened with Antonio Brown on Sunday.
https://t.co/1g45Ib9to1
Arians gave a full rundown of the situation, stating how Brown was furious about not getting enough targets at halftime. That then continued into the second half and when it was time for Brown to go into the game, he refused.
Bruce Arians details the sideline blowup with Antonio Brown
Arians had to go over and see what happened and Brown explained, according to the coach, he wasn't getting the ball so he wasn't going in. That was the final straw for Arians.
"You're done, get the f**k outta here," Arians said.
The head coach claims he said that and that is the end of the story. To recap, Brown is claiming the Buccaneers were trying to force him to play hurt. The team, as said by Arians, is sticking by the story that Brown was throwing tantrums about not getting the ball.
#Bucs coach Bruce Arians’ opening statement today on WR Antonio Brown, who alleged last night he was cut because he refused to play hurt and said he will undergo ankle surgery: https://t.co/dfgFLd5x38
"I was never notified of it. That was the disturbing thing when we were looking for him to go back into the game. He was very upset at halftime about who was getting targeted. We got that calmed down, players took care of that. Started again on the sideline. We called for the personnel group he had played in the entire game. He refused to go in the game," said Arians.
The head coach was furious with Brown's sideline antics. He further said:
"That’s when I looked back and saw him basically waive off the coach. I then went back, approached him about what was going on. (He said) ‘I ain’t playing.’ (I said) ‘What’s going on?’ (He replied) ‘I ain’t getting the ball.’ That’s when I said you’re done, get the F out of here. That’s the end of it. We are working on Carolina, that’s the end of the story. Hopefully it ends today."
Arians went on to add that he only wishes the best for Brown and hopes he gets the help he needs.
Arians says he's hurt by the allegations Antonio Brown made against the #Bucs, but says he hopes @AB84 gets the help he needs.
https://t.co/XL5DB7AGgJ
"I'm hurt, but, I mean, I just still wish the best for him," Arians said. "You can’t force a player to play. They have that choice. It’s their body. He decided to play. He and Mike (Evans) were both on pitch counts. We were trying to manage that as best we could in the first half."
"You saw the texts. It was out there. If you can go on Saturday, I want you with the team in case you can go. He participated in the Saturday walkthrough like he was going to go, so there was no question about it."
The Buccaneers made the call to let Arians address the situation on Thursday afternoon. Many fans wonder what Brown's response will be. He has made it clear with several statements that the Buccaneers are lying and that Arians tried to make him play hurt.
Brown's release may end the saga because he is free to hit waivers and join another Super Bowl contender. Any grievance he has now is going to be tough for the NFL to investigate given the nature of the situation.