Bruce Arians speaks out on the future of Antonio Brown with the Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians fronted the media on Friday as the team prepares to travel to face Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons.
Arians will again be without wide receiver Antonio Brown, who is recovering from a sprained ankle and is thought to be missing for the next two weeks.
But with the NFL now suspending Brown for his involvement in using a fake vaccination card, Brown will be missing regardless.
Arians is blunt in assessing Brown's future
Trouble seems to follow Antonio Brown wherever he goes. Whether it be Pittsburgh, Oakland, New England or now Tampa, Brown is always in the news. After Brown was suspended for the next three games by the NFL, Arians was asked during his press conference about Brown's future with the organization.
“Right, obviously we have two guys suspended, the league did their due diligence and we move on,” Arians said.
“I will not address those guys for the next three weeks, they will just be working out and we will address their future at that time. Other than that, there’s really nothing to say,” he finished.
Arians seemed visibly annoyed with Brown, and it is understandable. The team is trying to return to the Super Bowl after winning it last season in Tom Brady's first year with the team.
#Bucs HC Bruce Arians starts his press conference discussing the suspensions of AB and Mike Edwards. Says they’ll move on and address the futures of them when their suspensions are done.
In other important news - Jordan Whitehead is out, which puts a hole in the depth at safety. https://t.co/FNSE510eNB
Since arriving in Tampa, Brown has been one of Brady's most reliable and trusted receivers alongside Rob Gronkowski, and it is no secret that Brady does not look as comfortable when Brown is not on the team.
The 33-year-old receiver has caught 29 passes for 418 receiving yards and four touchdowns in his five games this season. His route running, deep play threat and everything in between made Brown the perfect target for the aging Brady.
Breaking: The NFL announced Antonio Brown has been suspended without pay for the next three games for violating the NFL-NFLPA COVID-19 protocols. https://t.co/wCSM2l6fJb
While the team is still winning football games without Brown and is 3-2 in games he has missed, which included back-to-back defeats of New Orleans and Washington. The Bucs steadied the ship with a hard-fought win over Indianapolis on Sunday but will face the Falcons, Bills and Saints, at least, without Brown.
The earliest Brown will be eligible to return will be against the Panthers on December 27, and that will give him three games to get back in rhythm for the Bucs' playoff push.
Arians did not seem happy with the fact Brown was missing, so it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Brown and the Bucs going forward. If Arians' tone is anything to go by, it doesn't look good for the 33-year-old.