As the war of words between Antonio Brown and the Buccaneers continues, the former Tampa Bay wide receiver is looking to have the last word.
In a tumultuous week that began with Brown walking off the field shirtless at MetLife Stadium, sparking a public feud filled with text message leaks, accidental bank account disclosures, and attorney and team statements, Brown appeared on the podcast. “Full Send” on Friday in his first interview since his infamous departure.
What turned into an hour-long, off the beaten path and profanity-filled conversation that Brown referred to as “Kumbaya,” the free agent discussed everything from the incident itself to CTE and where he thought it should fall into the depth of the Tampa receiver. chart to Tom Brady, Bruce Arians, Rob Gronkowski and more.
Sporting News analyzes the wildest moments of the interview.
Antonio Brown shares his side of the story
Brown spoke about the criticism he faced in recent days and acknowledged: “I acted irrationally and did some things that people do not understand, but that is part of life. I have a bad label, I have a bad name. We, like Humans, we want to be treated in a civilized way – it’s about integrity and treating people the right way. “
Regarding his departure from the field last Sunday, Brown said he was simply defending himself while dealing with an ankle injury.
Antonio Brown in his side interaction Sunday with Bruce Arians, in @fullsendpodcast: “You have the right to say to the Coach: ‘I, Coach, cannot enter the game.’ If it makes the coach irrational, emotional because I cannot do my job, that is not human.”
– Greg Auman (@gregauman) January 7, 2022
Brown repeated again that it was all because of his ankle and that is why he could not go, that Arians called him “GTFO” when he said he could not play, and that was what ignited the situation.
—Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) January 7, 2022
“I got too sexy for the stadium,” added Brown. “My adrenaline was so high. I became too sexy for my clothes. I gave the fans what they wanted. “
Brown thinks he belongs to the top of the depth chart
With Mike Evans and Chris Godwin leading the charge this season for the Bucs, Brown questioned his “test” salary level and questioned whether he was one of Brady’s “guys.”
“If Tom Brady is my boy then why am I playing for a serious salary? Gronk is his boy, what does Gronk make? So why is AB on a trial deal?” Brown asked.
For context, Gronkowski signed a one-year deal with the Bucs last offseason with a base salary of $ 1.75 million and a signing bonus of $ 6.25 million. Brown signed a one-year deal worth up to $ 6.25 million, with $ 3.1 million guaranteed.
Brown then raised the question of who on the Buccaneers was better than him.
Brown played in seven games this season and was attacked 62 times, which is the fifth most on the team, though he felt he should have taken center stage ahead of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
Antonio Marrón in @fullsendpodcast on his use with the Bucs: “I’m still the best though. They’re watching the tape right here. So I ask them: Why am I not aiming the ball as a number 1 receiver?”
– Greg Auman (@gregauman) January 7, 2022
Antonio Brown’s “friendship” with Tom Brady
Brown also disagreed with people’s perception of Brady and his talent, saying that Brady is deified and put on a higher pedestal, while the supporting cast is left behind.
Warning: tweet contains NSFW language
Antonio Marrón, in @fullsendpodcast arguing that he’s the best: “Brady can’t do shit himself. But you guys are going to make it look like he’s just this heroic guy. We’re all human, bro. We all depend on someone else to get the job done.”
– Greg Auman (@gregauman) January 7, 2022
Brown added that Brady “is not a god” and said Brady and the Bucs called on him to help them win a Super Bowl, not the toilet bowl.
It is important to note that Brady often credits his teammates with his success, as Yahoo! Sports columnist Shalise Manza Young noted.
This is (as expected) ridiculous on many levels, one of which is that Brady himself credits his teammates for his success every time they ask him. https://t.co/64IgMwhL6O
– Shalise Manza Young (@shalisemyoung) January 7, 2022
When the hosts of the “Full Send” podcast tried to paint Brady as a nice guy for allowing Brown to stay at his house, Brown turned them down.
“I have my own money, do you know who I am? I don’t need to stay at anyone’s house, I have my own house, I don’t need a pity party from any of you.”
Brown targets CTE
Amid concerns that Brown may have CTE or suffer repeated blows to the head, he also dismissed it, saying any tears on behalf of Tampa regarding CTE or his mental health are alligator-type after the former El’s death. longtime buccaneer Vincent Jackson.
Antonio Brown tells @fullsendpodcast You don’t want people to question your sanity and you have “mental wealth.” This after an errant talk on CTE where Brown talked a bit about Vincent Jackson and Junior Seau and suggested to the Bucs that we are not mentally concerned about him.
—Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) January 7, 2022
The full interview can be seen here.
Finally, Brown indicated that he wants to return to soccer. “It’s just beginning,” he said.
With his ankle injury, he is practically ruled out this year, indicating that he cannot play 100 percent and that he would be hurting the team that signed him.
Will he have a chance next season? Time will tell.