Less than three weeks after praising Tom Brady following the quarterback’s retirement announcement, former Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown is back on the social media offensive.
The embattled wideout posted an Instagram story on Monday showing an X-ray of his ankle, lambasting Brady and Bucs head coach Bruce Arians for, as Brown puts it, sending him onto the field knowing that he was injured.
“Tom said he would throw it if I came to play hurt,” Brown’s captions read. “I came, he didn’t throw it. Imagine being hurt having to play through this and being lied too (sic).”
Brown, who played with Brady in New England and Tampa Bay, left the Bucs in the middle of the team’s Week 17 game against the Jets. He subsequently accused the team of covering up its knowledge of his injured ankle. After the high-profile incident, Brady offered support for Brown, urging others to “do what they can to help [Brown] in the ways he really needs it.” Brady has previously advocated for Brown in the past to get him on the rosters of the Patriots and Bucs.
After Brown's departure from the team, Brady offered public support, urging those to not rush to judgment on Brown's actions.
“I’ve known Antonio for a couple years now, you know, pretty closely,” he said. “We’ve obviously been teammates and I would just say I love him, I care about him, and I have a lot of compassion. I have a lot of empathy for the things that are happening in his life...I’m gonna continue to do everything I can to try to be a great friend and supportive to Antonio and the things he’s going through.”
Brown concluded his post with a shot at Arians:
“Coach said if I couldn’t run on this get the f--- out of here,” Brown wrote. “F--- all you MF.”
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