Antonio Brown should be preparing for the postseason right now.
Instead, he has spent the past week trying to defend himself after storming off the field as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took on the New York Jets.
The saga has gone back and forth between Brown and the team, leaving no real winner in the situation.
His main claim all along is that he was too injured to go back into last week’s game.
The team has claimed that is not true.
A new update may give Brown’s story more credibility.
#Bucs WR Antonio Brown is set for ankle surgery on Jan. 18, sources say, though the date is subject to change because of insurance and logistical discussions. Dr. Martin O’Malley will perform it pic.twitter.com/BN3rdwqtLh
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 9, 2022
Brown is reportedly set for ankle surgery later this month.
Does this news validate his story about being too hurt to play?
An Ongoing Dramatic Situation
There seems to be no doubt that Brown had an ankle injury in the first place.
He missed time this year and his status was not a shock.
The question is if his ankle truly got too bad to play on in the second half of his final game, or if he was mad about not getting targets, as the team has claimed.
That is the ultimate unknown in this “he said, he said” situation between Brown and head coach Bruce Arians.
One thing this surgery confirms is that Brown is done for the season.
He hit waivers, went unclaimed, and became a free agent.
Former Bucs’ WR Antonio Brown sat down with the @fullsendpodcast, hosted by @BobMenery. pic.twitter.com/ssJtR0Wder
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 7, 2022
Now his focus turns toward getting healthy and trying to find another opportunity next season.
Brown had 42 receptions in only seven games this season and had four touchdowns.
He proved the talent is still there to be an asset on any NFL team.
But is all the drama worth it?
The answer will be “no” for a lot of teams, but one or two may take a shot on Brown and hope for the best.
Him being healthy will boost his case as well.
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