"I'll always be there for him" - Tom Brady values Antonio Brown friendship despite shocking meltdown

Antonio Brown's most recent controversy involves him taking off his shoulder pads and shirt, tossing his shirt into the stands and running across the field to exit the game in the third quarter of Sunday's game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New York Jets.

After the game, Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians stated that Brown is "no longer a Buc."

Although many people today may want nothing to do with the much-maligned receiver, he certainly still has a friend in Tom Brady.

Many will argue that Brady is the reason why Brown joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At the time of his signing back in 2020, Brown was in the midst of several ugly off-field incidents that scared away many possible suitors.

Once upon a time, Brady reportedly urged Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots to sign Brown when Brady was still their quarterback, although it only lasted for one game.

On a recent episode of the Let's Go podcast with former sports reporter Jim Gray, the seven-time Super Bowl champion had this to say about his relationship with Brown:

"I've known Antonio for a couple years now. We're pretty closely and 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. It's a lot of challenges we all face from time to time."

Brady took the time to emphasize his positive support for Brown during a time when he was being bashed on social media by the hour for his bizarre behavior.

Brady continued,

"I think the best thing is to have a support system even outside of football because, again, yeah, we are football players, we're athletes. We give everything we can on the field, but we also have lives off the field too. And I'm going to continue to do everything I can to try to be a great friend and be supportive to Antonio for what he's going through."

Brady appears to echo the sentiments of many about providing help and support for Brown as it (often) appears that he may be dealing with possible mental issues. The quarterback admitted he wasn't aware of Brown's sideline antics as the video went viral on social media within minutes. Brady said:

“Yeah, I didn’t understand kind of what was happening until after the game. I didn’t understand what transpired and I saw after the game Mike [Evans] was trying to talk to Antonio and so was OJ [Howard]. And I know Bruce [Arians] was also. Again, it was just a very difficult situation for everybody involved.”

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Antonio Brown reacted weirdly after Buccaneers released him

New Orleans Saints v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This is just the latest incident with Brown as the now former Buccaneers receiver has overstayed his welcome in several cities, including Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, New England and now Tampa.

For Brown, although he hasn't been officially released by the Bucs, it is evident from Arians' words that his time with the team is over.

He has, however, released a rap song just hours after the game Sunday.

What happens to Brown next? Stay tuned for his next move.