Did the Buccaneers release Antonio Brown? Latest on WR's status
Antonio Brown effectively self-terminated himself by walking off the field mid-game during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets game on Sunday. He left the stadium as the Jets were beating the Bucs. However, the Bucs would instrument a comeback to secure a victory.
Now that the smoke has cleared from Brown's walk-out, with head coach Bruce Arians telling the press that "Brown is no longer a Buc." Things are not that simple. as the team has not yet officially released him.
The possible reason why Buccaneers haven't cut Antonio Brown
The odd thing about the Buccaneers not releasing Antonio Brown right away might be due to the collective bargaining agreement between the NFLPA and the NFL. Players have certain rights to be awarded and even if Brown walked out of the game, he might not be subject to being cut right away.
For the second straight day, WR Antonio Brown did not show up on today’s NFL wire, meaning the Buccaneers still hold his rights, per source.
Especially being that with mental health issues and the rise of CTE in active and retired NFL players, there could be a lot of red tape involved in just firing him or letting him go.
Brown's behavior is not acceptable by any means, but that doesn't mean that he could just be let go due to the hurt feelings of the head coach and the rest of the team. Tom Brady even backed up his teammates when asked about what happened.
In the tweet above, Brown remains listed on the team's depth chart and has not yet been shown on the waiver wire. Simply put, the Buccaneers will likely have to do their due diligence and meet with the NFL to see how to go about handling this odd situation.
Antonio Brown literally quit on Tom Brady in the middle of a game
I absolutely didn’t expect this reaction of immediate sympathy
who knows what AB is going thru but credit to Brady, this level of empathy & humanity in the moment is impressive https://t.co/jl3sL8sCqL
As of right now, Antonio Brown is still a Buccaneer and there has been little in the way of information about his current status with the team. If one takes a look at how the Houston Texans have handled the Deshaun Watson situation, they've had him sit on the bench the entire season thus far with no resolution in sight.
The Buccaneers could also opt to bench Brown and not grant him a release until the remainder of the season wraps up, which would include Tampa Bay's run in the playoffs.
However, if the NFL and the Bucs give Brown what he wants by releasing him, that could set a precedent for other players in the league.