January 18, 2022 By: Karl Wimer

Cartoon: Nothing Spared From Antonio Brown’s Flamethrower

“Nothing Spared From Antonio Brown’s Flamethrower”

In Antonio Brown’s final game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Antonio Brown tore off his jersey and shoulder pads, threw gear into the stands, dashed around the stadium, did some jumping jacks, then disappeared into a tunnel. All mid third-quarter of the second-to-last regular season game against the New York Jets while his team was losing by two touchdowns.

Strange behavior indeed, but not completely out of character for one of the most talented players of his generation who has now burned bridges with every one of his former teams. The Steelers, Raiders, and Patriots have all experienced bizarre actions, verbal abuse, and off-the-field disruptive behavior that led directly to the parting of ways. Now the Buccaneers, in the middle of a potential second Super Bowl run will make that journey without their (arguably) best wide receiver.

We may never truly know what triggered the Brown meltdown, as he claims the team tried to force him to play with an injured ankle (that seemed fine as he energetically left the field). The Bucs claimed he was upset because he wasn’t receiving the ball enough during the game. Additionally, Brown had been on a short leash, playing on an incentive-laden contract; a necessity for any team that signed him for his talents and mercurial personality.

In the days that followed, Brown lashed out at the Bucs GM, Coach Arians, and quarterback Tom Brady. Arians had shown significant patience with the temperamental receiver over the past two years, even trying to look past a faked COVID vaccine. Brady was also an interesting target for Brown’s ire, as he had once put Brown up in his house during his short stint with the Patriots, and then later recruited Brown to the Bucs.

It’s fairly clear that Brown’s regular pattern of behavior is enormously difficult to fit into a team environment, and he will likely never see the NFL field again as a player. The football community has responded with some reasonable concern for the slightly shifting official story from the Bucs, but they’ve mostly expressed anger for one more head-scratching outburst. There has also been significant concern for Brown’s mental well-being, as these self-destructive examples don’t seem to add up.

But take a closer look, and it seems to fit a pattern of how Brown treats people in general. He’s had multiple arrests, court dates and other brushes with the law, mostly originating with the horrible treatment of a long list of service providers such as massage therapists, chefs, artists and movers, to name a few. He’s settled out of court in nearly every situation.

Soon, Antonio Brown will surely find a public stage to target someone else for more of his bombastic flame-throwing. But the clock may have already stopped ticking for the stage that allowed him to many years share with the world his undeniable football talents.