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Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy gave his take on the yet-to-be-cut Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown.
On the NBC football pregame show, Football Night in America, the former Tampa Bay and Indianapolis Colts head coach said this about Brown:
"I've said this in the past: I feel sorry for Antonio Brown," Dungy said on Football Night in America. "He's talented, but he needs help. In the NFL, we're not doing him any favors if we keep signing him and keep rewarding this kind of behavior. Don't sign him until he gets some help."
Dungy’s comments were stern about the four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver exiting MetLife Stadium as the Buccaneers were losing to the New York Jets 24-10 in the third quarter. Brown took off his uniform and pads prior to leaving the field shirtless.
Before he left the field, Brown also threw his gloves and shirt at the fans in the stands. He then proceeded to wave to the MetLife stadium crowd as he trotted across the end zone and into the tunnel.
Moments before the incident, three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans looked as though he was attempting to talk Brown down. At the time of his departure, Brown had three receptions for 26 yards in the game.
Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady led an impressive comeback after Brown’s abrupt exit from the contest. Brady threw a pass to third-year wide receiver Cyril Grayson for a 33-yard touchdown catch with 15 seconds remaining to lock up a 28-24 win over the Jets.
For the three-time NFL MVP signal-caller and inevitable Hall of Famer, this was his fifth game-winning drive this season and number 53 in his career. Which ranks first among active quarterbacks, while it is the second most all-time behind Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning who has 54 game-winning drives.
Unlike Brady however, Antonio Brown is not a Hall of Fame shoo-in. In fact, this latest incident may be the last time we see Brown as an NFL player.
Antonio Brown and His NFL Career
Following the Buccaneers' win over the Jets, Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians conveyed to the media that Brown was “no longer a Buc.”
Should this be the last stop for Brown, he has put up some great numbers in his time in the NFL. He was a sixth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2010 NFL Draft.
In his nine years (2010-2018) at Pittsburgh, Brown was an All-Pro for four straight years from 2014-2017. He had over 1,000 yards receiving in seven of his nine years, including leading the NFL in receiving yards twice (2014 & 2017).
Brown had 11,207 yards receiving for the Steelers, which is second to Hines Ward (12,083 yards). The 74 touchdown receptions are also second to Ward (85).
After being traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, he did not play one regular-season game for them. He was released and later signed by the New England Patriots in 2019, playing just one game before also being released.
Tampa Bay signed Brown in 2020, he had 45 receptions for 483 yards receiving and four touchdowns that year. In his seven games in 2021, Brown had 42 receptions for 545 yards receiving and four touchdowns.
Should 2021 be the 12th and final year for Brown, he had a great career on the field, but off the field, it was a different story.
