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Antonio Brown had arguably the most infamous move of the entire 2021 NFL season when he stormed off the field in Week 17. His Tampa Bay Buccaneers were trailing the New York Jets when he seemingly got into it with head coach Bruce Arians. The next thing fans saw was a shirtless Brown heading toward the locker room.
Both sides had their own take on the story and the result was the receiver being cut, trying to defend his name. That resulted in plenty of fans on social media coming out to defend Brown against Arians.
Those same fans got some evidence in their favor Wednesday as Arians was hit with a $50,000 fine for hitting his own player in the helmet during Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The reaction in support of Brown has been swift as Arians received a rare fine for hitting one of his own players in the middle of a game. One fan even declared he was right all along.
Was Antonio Brown right all this while? NFL fans think so
NFL fans know the situation by now. Brown claims he was too hurt to go back into the Jets game, while Arians claims the receiver was mad about not getting enough targets. The head coach getting this fine has some fans believing he is lying about the AB situation.
Bruce Arians plans to appeal his fine
A $50,000 fine is a serious message from the NFL toward Arians. He can appeal, but it does look like the league has made up its mind that hitting a player in any manner is unacceptable. Former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer reportedly kicked his own kicker, which was one of the top reasons for his inevitable firing. Hitting a player is just not going to be tolerated in the NFL, nor should it be.
Seeing a repeated pattern of behavior with Arians only has fans jumping to conclusions about the Brown situation.
There was a fair point to make that the receiver went over the top by removing his jersey and making a scene as he left the field in the middle of a game. And while Arians striking his players does not mean he is lying about Brown, it does shed light on how he may act during a game.
The situation between the two remains a "he said, he said" scenario where fans are picking sides. Those who believe in their favorite receiver won't be swayed, as evidenced by their reaction on social media to Arians' fine.
The Buccaneers are lucky to have Tom Brady leading the way at quarterback. The team lost both Brown and Chris Godwin and looked dominant in the Wild Card Round against the Eagles. Mike Evans was the top target and Rob Gronkowski even had a touchdown.
Tampa Bay should be fine without the controversial AB moving forward. Arians is the one who may have to worry about his job status given his actions the past month or so. Losing this weekend in the Divisional Round will not help his case either.
