On Monday, Dec. 4, ex-NFL WR Antonio Brown took to social media platform X to claim that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers paid him “hush money” to play while he was injured. This isn’t the first time AB has accused the Bucs of doing this. Last year, he said then head coach Bruce Arians forced him to play, knowing the All-Pro’s ankle was broken. AB has said that’s why he left the field mid-game in week 17 of the 2021 season.
“Thank you @Buccaneers for hush money Settlement playing me while I was hurt now u can Suck my D***! NFL money rap money” wrote AB in a caption on his X account.
The accompanying picture showed stacks of cash and a check from the Bucs corporation, made payable to AB.
AB Has Made These Accusations Before
AB and his lawyer Sean Burstyn appeared on HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” in January 2022 and continued to make accusations against the Bucs.
“These guys at Tampa Bay Bucs tried to make an agreement with me to get me $200,000 to go to the crazy house so these guys could look like they know what they’re talking about,” Brown said.
Burstyn then jumped in to confirm the proposal from Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht.
“The offer was Antonio would basically sit on the sidelines, go on some list, and commit himself to some form of intensive mental health treatment,” Burstyn said. “We were specifically told, in writing by the general manager, twice, ‘Don’t spin this any other way.'”
Brown later added, “I have mental wealth” when asked by Gumbel about his mental health.
AB has been exhibiting strange behavior for quite some time now and it has only escalated since he stopped playing football. A look through his X timeline shows incoherent rants, a repeated stream of Kanye West lyrics and a random plea to former teammate Tom Brady to “go fishing” with him.
Let’s Not Act Like The Bucs Deserve The Benefit Of The Doubt
It’s hard to talk of Brown without mentioning the real-life drama with his ownership of the Albany Empire, of the National Arena League and his bench warrants for failure to pay child support.
None of that means that what AB is alleging the Bucs did didn’t happen.
This is the NFL. Teams force players who are injured to play all the time. Doctors shoot players up with Toradol and other addictive pain killers in the name of getting out on the field. Retired players have admitted as much.
Having AB say it makes it seem like just another cry for help or the musings of a man doing too much. He is certainly not the ideal messenger, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t telling the truth.
