Just a few weeks ago, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wide Receiver Antonio Brown abruptly exited MetLife Stadium as his team battled the New York Jets. While the Buccaneers went on to defeat the Jets and earn a playoff spot, Brown has remained a constant figure in the NFL news cycle. He has appeared at NBA games, spent time with Kanye West and fulfilled Cameo requests. More recently, he has embarked on a media tour. Along the way, Brown has appeared on Full Send and I Am Athlete. Tonight, he stopped by HBO and sat down with Bryant Gumbel and his attorney, Sean Burstyn.
Antonio Brown and Sean Burstyn spoke to Bryant Gumbel about a number of things, but their conversation primarily revolved around the star receiver’s departure from Tampa Bay. As previously mentioned, Brown abruptly left MetLife Stadium while his team was competing with the New York Jets. In the aftermath, outsiders have suggested that Brown may have been upset with Tom Brady and others due to the lack of passes thrown his way. At the same time, several members of the Tampa Bay franchise have seemingly alluded to Brown’s alleged mental health issues as the reason for his sudden exit.
“These guys at the Tampa Bay Bucs tried to make an agreement with me to give me $200,000 to go to the crazy house so these guys could look like they know what they were talking about,” Brown said during his interview with Gumbel.
Contrary to popular belief, the Super Bowl Champion has said that he left his former team because of a dispute regarding an ankle injury.
“I’m not worried about the ball,” Brown said, according to ESPN.
“Tom Brady is my guy. He’s the reason I’m on Tampa Bay, so I know I’m gonna get the ball.”
Brown’s recollection of what went down seemingly caught his former head coach off guard. In a post-game conference, he claimed that he was unaware of. Brown’s injury.
“I don’t know that he was,” Arians remarked, according to ESPN.
Brown’s attorney, Sean Burstyn, shot back at Arians’ claim. During his client’s interview with Gumbel, he interjected and alleged that he had spoken to Arians and the coach told him that he was aware of Brown’s ankle injury. Furthermore, he alleged that he had text messages from Tampa Bay Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht that play in Brown’s favor.
Moving forward, Burstyn and Brown plan to pursue legal action regarding the matter. First, the duo plans to seek financial coverage for Brown’s ankle surgery. Then, the two plan to file a defamation lawsuit against the Buccaneers because Brown feels that the Buccaneers attempted to tie his departure to his mental health rather than his ankle injury.
“Tony [Brown] was defamed by this spin that he had a mental health episode that makes him someone who’s not reliable to do a good job on the field,” Burstyn told Gumbel.
“So we’re pursuing internally all of our rights under the CBA and considering them and maybe stepping outside of the CBA.”
Burstyn didn’t specify how much money his client is seeking. Instead, he told Gumbel that his client was looking to get “a whole lot of money” in a potential lawsuit.
“All of our options are on the table. We’re going to hold to account the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bruce Arians, the general manager to the extent anyone who’s responsible for this spin that Antonio isn’t reliable to do a good job playing football because he doesn’t have the mental fortitude to do it,” Burstyn said.
“They’ll be held to account.”
In his first TV interview since being cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bryant Gumbel interviews controversial NFL star Antonio Brown and his lawyer Sean Burstyn. Catch a new episode of #RealSports tonight on @hbomax pic.twitter.com/Cx7IXClj7C
— Real Sports (@RealSportsHBO) January 25, 2022
