Antonio Brown blames ex-Bucs teammate Tom Brady for his infamous shirtless mid-game exit in 2022

It has been 539 days since Antonio Brown departed MetLife Stadium shirtless while the reigning Super Bowl champion Buccaneers tried to overcome the New York Jets.

With his NFL career been and gone, Brown has continued to stay in the news cycle, though largely for less than desirable reasons. 

Brown has already discussed what happened on January 2, 2022 but provided further insight, suggesting he felt a modicum of pressure from then-Bucs quarterback Tom Brady.

Speaking on Tyreek Hill’s It Needed To Be Said podcast which aired Saturday, Brown explained Brady hyped him up as he struggled with an ankle injury prior to the final game of his career. 

‘Tom called me like ‘Yo this week man the Jets man, they sweet man imma hit you with like 10 to 12 [targets]

Antonio Brown told Tyreek Hill that Tom Brady encouraged him prior to the infamous NYJ game

Brown gave Jets fans the peace sign as he stripped off midgame and left the field in the third

Despite their friendship while at the Patriots and Buccaneers, Brown has since turned on Brady

‘That’s all I need to hear like ‘yo you gonna throw me the ball,’ this is like me saying like I got a new crib like you know me, you know what I’m saying.

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‘Tom Brady done hit me up like ‘yo this a big week,’ so I’m like f—k it. I know my s***’s f***** up, but if he’s going to f*** with me like that, why not?’

Though, Brown only had five targets through almost three quarters. Which seemed to bring the former Central Michigan standout to boiling point. 

‘You don’t want to throw me the ball and you making me like I’m crazy, so, I was like, ‘I’m crazy? F*** all you motherf******, I’m out of here.’ 

Brown also accused the Buccaneers organization of ‘treating [him] like a little dog.’ 

In the days following Brown’s impromptu exit, he had a different tone while reflecting on the viral moment. 

‘It probably wasn’t necessary or professional,’ Brown admitted to TMZ January 10. In a statement issued via his lawyer two days later, Brown claimed that he was forced to play despite team personnel knowing he had a serious ankle injury.

Brown said that at one point the pain from the injury became too extreme, forcing him to sit on the sidelines. He claims that then triggered a confrontation with Arians, which saw the coach make a throat cutting gesture while mouthing ‘You’re done.’

The six-time All-Pro rebuked the notion Brady actually cared for him, despite the 45-year-old playing a role in his arrival in Tampa Bay in 2020. Brady also reportedly let Brown temporarily stay in his family’s home upon joining New England and the later, the Bucs.

‘Me and Tom Brady had a football relationship,’ Brown told Hill. ‘[We] don’t got a lot in common besides being great at football. 

‘That’s life, everyone’s not going to be your friend… we all outgrow each other, but that don’t mean we hate each other, but we not calling each other every day and texting. 

‘Life goes on, we don’t hate no one, there’s no negative energy… we all have a stint in each other’s life and life goes on,’ Brown said philosophically.