By Dennis Romero -
NBC News
Antonio Brown, receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL, took off his jersey on Sunday and left the field before the end of the game for his team, which defeated the New York Jets 28-24.
Coach Bruce Arians said after the game that Brown, 33, "is no longer a buccaneer."
Brown removed his shirt, shoulder pads, undershirt, and glove;
made the sign of peace to the public;
and left MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
According to commentator Jay Glazer of the
NFL on Fox program
, which aired the game, his coach repeatedly ordered him to return to the game but he refused, sending him to the locker room.
"I've never seen anything like this in all my years,"
Arians said.
At a post-game press conference, Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady called for compassion and empathy for Brown, suggesting he might need "help."
“We all love him,” he said, “we care a lot about him.
We want to see him at his best, and unfortunately it will not be with our team. "
After leaving the stadium, Brown posted on Twitter a photo and the words "Super Gremlin," as well as an emoji of the
shaka
or
hang loose
hand symbol
.
What happened this Sunday was just the last stormy chapter in Brown's career.
In 2019, he played just one game for the New England Patriots before being released after allegations of sexual assault that he denied.
At the time, he said that he would no longer play in the NFL.
Brown was charged in a lawsuit with sexually assaulting a former coach.
His lawyers denied the allegations and filed their own lawsuit, and the court battle culminated in a settlement last year.
Brown was never charged in court.
In 2020, he pleaded not guilty to robbery and battery charges stemming from an incident in Florida in which he allegedly participated in an attack on a trucker.
His sentence included two years of probation.
The Patriots released Brown after his sour stint with the Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tampa Bay signed him for this year, but his season was transformed with a three-game suspension in December on allegations that he lied about his coronavirus vaccination, according to the NFL, which investigated whether he had used a false immunization card.
