With Antonio Brown’s future in Tampa Bay up in the air out of sight, many likely quickly looked to Tom Brady for a reaction. The Super Bowl champion and former Patriots staple went to bat for Brown and got him on the Buccaneers after a topsy turvy tour of other teams after leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Brady could easily be mad and disappointed in the wide receiver and his actions on the field today in New Jersey. But in his first comments after the game, Brady was supportive and empathetic of Brown’s potential issues.
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“I think everybody should hopefully do what they can to help him in ways that he really needs it,” Brady told reporters after the comeback win against the New York Jets. “We all love him. We care about him deeply. We want to see him be at his best.”
Brown exited Sunday’s game in the middle of the third quarter. According to the New York Post, the WR refused to return to the field when asked by coach Bruce Arians and seemed frustrated at something. This led to Brown stripping his football gear off and running off the field while waving to fans.
When asked after the game what happened, Arians told reporters that Brown was “no longer a Buc” before moving to talk about those who played the game and earned victory. Brady’s comments are pretty refreshing when compared to past NFL drama and team situations where players can’t co-exist. It doesn’t seem to be the case here and Brady is being mindful that not all is what it seems for Brown.
“Unfortunately he can’t be with our team but we have a lot of friendships that will last,” Brady said. “Again I think the most important things about football are the relationships with your friends and your teammates, and they go beyond the field. I think everyone should be very compassionate and empathetic with some difficult things that are happening.”
Not everybody is as understanding of Brown, including Sports Illustrated’s Gary Gramling, who wrote that Brady, Arians and the Buccaneers enabled Brown’s behavior since his signing. “But when you look back at the embarrassments of the past two seasons, the mistreatment of women, the suspension for a fake vaccine card, the self-destructive behavior and his deluded attitude toward it all, never forget the role Brady, Arians and the Bucs’ organization played in it,” Gramling writes for the outlet.
Brown posted to Instagram in the hours after his exit from the Buccaneers, and after going viral for being denied travel with his former team. The wide receiver was photographed outside of MetLife Stadium with his luggage, waiting for a ride of some sort, be it a taxi or an Uber.
