On Thursday, Jan. 6, former Tampa Bay Bucs player Antonio Brown released alleged text messages with Head Coach Bruce Arians.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Jan. 5, Brown said that Arians knew about his serious ankle injury. This injury caused an argument between the coach and player that resulted in Brown walking out mid-game on Sunday, Jan. 2. Arians told the press that he didn’t know about the ankle injury when he told Brown to get out on the field.
Now, Antonio Brown has released the text messages on Twitter to support his claim. Per Fox News, Arians and Brown exchanged these messages in the days leading up to the Jan. 2 game against the New York Jets.
The first text, supposedly sent by Arians on Dec. 30, said, “This is BA. Make sure your ready to go tomorrow. We ARE NOT resting for the playoffs.”
On Dec. 31, Arians followed up by texting Antonio Brown, “Call me.”
Brown’s reply on Dec. 31 said, “I’m all in coach really (can’t) get to full speed I wanna win wanna be there if I wake up tomorrow feel better I’ll be ready kinda rolled it outside on 2pt play I want what’s best for team (let me know) when you free I’ll call u.”
“Come see me (in) the morning. We’ll talk it out. Definitely want you with us in case you’re ready,” Arians responded.
As you can see in the tweet below, Antonio Brown also included a photo of his ankle being looked at by a professional. He captioned the released text messages “Health over Wealth # Barbarian,” on Twitter. At this time, Arians hasn’t responded to Brown’s released messages.
Antonio Brown Releases Statement About Mid-Game Exit
On Wednesday, former Bucs player Antonio Brown released a full statement through his lawyer about the events that took place on Jan. 2. After Brown walked off the field, head coach Bruce Arians said he was “no longer a Buc” in the postgame press conference.
Brown’s statement provides clarity on what happened between the player and coach during Sunday’s game. Most of their conflict seems to revolve around an ankle injury that Brown believes should’ve prevented him from playing.
“Despite the pain, I suited up, the staff injected with what I now know was a powerful and sometimes dangerous painkiller that the NFLPA has warned against using. And I gave it my all for the team,” Antonio Brown said in the statement.
Brown also called out Arians, who said he didn’t know about the injury. “It was well-documented and we had discussed it. He then ordered me to get on the field. I said, ‘Coach, I can’t.’ He didn’t call for medical attention. Instead, he shouted at me, ‘YOU’RE DONE!’ While he ran his finger across his throat.”
Read the full statement from Antonio Brown here.
