"He kept enabling the monster" - Skip Bayless feels Tom Brady is to blame for Antonio Brown debacle
On the Fox Sports 1 show Undisputed with Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe, Bayless shared his thoughts on the recent incident involving Antonio Brown.
Brown left the game suddenly in the third quarter of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 17 game against the New York Jets. However, not before removing half of his uniform for dramatic effect. A shocking turn of events for all those watching.
Well now Bayless has come out and pointed the finger at Tampa Bay quarterback brady" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Tom Brady, saying he is at fault for what transpired at MetLife Stadium:
"I blame Tom Brady a lot for this because he just kept enabling, if we want to use a psychological term, he kept enabling Antonio Brown. He kept saying, 'I'll give you another chance, right. I'll give you another chance..."
Bayless went on to bring up the point that, the move to bring Brown to the Buccaneers worked out extremely well for both Antonio Brown and Tom Brady at first.
"Now, by the way, Brady got a super bowl out of it, right. Brown caught five balls in the Super Bowl, one for a touchdown. So that's pretty good. And I credit both AB and Tom for pulling that off last year together..."
Bayless' closing remarks, however, were that the decision to keep Brown in Tampa Bay would ultimately come back to "bite" Brady and the Buccaneers.
"But at some point, the more you feed the beast, the monster, the more potential it has to completely rise up and bite you in the butt. And yesterday, it bit him.” - Said Bayless
I blame Tom Brady a lot for this. Tom Brady kept enabling Antonio Brown. At some point, the more you feed the monster, the more potential it has to rise up and bite you. More @Undisputed, now on FS1
https://t.co/P4I9o7Usra
After fellow wide receiver Mike Evans tried to stop him from leaving, Brown began taking off his uniform and shoulder pads.
He made his way out of the stadium tunnel and took off his undershirt, tossing it to the crowd while waving and throwing up a peace sign. Fortunately for Tampa Bay, they didn't let the events that unfolded rattle them as they went on to beat the Jets 28-24.
Video of Antonio Brown leaving the field after taking off his jersey and shirt and throw it into the stands. https://t.co/1hwNYei5Fq
The seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback shared his thoughts on the Brown incident after the Week 17 game:
“I think everybody should hopefully do what they can to help him in ways that he really needs it. We all love him. We care about him deeply. We want to see him be at his best.”
Brady and Brown were teammates for just one game back in 2019 when the New England Patriots signed him. The Patriots cut him after they defeated the Miami Dolphins by a score of 43-0 in Week Two of the 2019 season.
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
Tom Brady's obsession with Antonio Brown and his insistence that he remain on the team is a sign that maybe he didn't deserve the benefit of input that so many insisted Bill Belichick should've given him on the personnel front in New England
Brown had four receptions for 56 yards receiving and a touchdown catch in his lone game for New England.
Antonio Brown and His Career in Tampa Bay
Brown signed with the Buccaneers in 2020 and has played in 15 games since his arrival. He started seven games and has 87 receptions with 1,028 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Brown averaged 68.5 yards per reception and a catch percentage of 70.2 percent.
Bruce Arians told reporters that Antonio Brown didn't indicate he was injured. "It's pretty obvious what happened. He left the field and that was it."
Arians adds: "I care about him a bunch and I hope that he's OK."
Brown has played his final game, it seems, for the Buccaneers, but has he played final game in the league? That question will soon be answered, however the overwhelming sentiment from the NFL community has been for Brown to deal with his personal issues first and foremost.
Praying for Antonio Brown: long chat w/ him pregame. He was all smiles, saying his ankle wasn’t 100%, but he was playing for his team, preparing for postseason w/ his brothers. What happened between that & the 2nd half meltdown? Praying for peace & guidance for him. @NFLonFOX https://t.co/VplQs9LoaO