KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown stole headlines on Sunday following an outburst on the sideline which saw him remove his jersey and leave the game against the New York Jets in the third quarter.
After the game, Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said Brown was no longer a part of the team.
Given his past incidents with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots, Brown’s departure from the Bucs resurfaces a conversation about his mental health.
Kansas City Chiefs practice squad wide receiver Daurice Fountain called for others to help Brown after the outburst.
Fountain also called for people to stop making fun of the situation, as it could be something very serious.
“Mental illness & CTE is REAL and unfortunately it’s a real reality for a lot of us in this business,” Fountain wrote.
Brown has not been officially diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy and according to Mayo Clinic, currently, it can only be diagnosed in patients after they have died.
Despite new information from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport that Brown’s outburst came after he was told to leave by the Buccaneers staff following a deteriorating relationship, the national conversation of the relationship between football and CTE has also resurfaced.
Brown’s history of off-the-field issues include, but not limited to:
- A Facebook Live in the locker room after a win without Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin knowing
- Disputes with the NFL and Raiders organization about which helmet he is allowed to use
- Being unavailable for practice after burning his feet during cryotherapy
- Sexual assault accusations from former trainer; other allegations of sexual misconduct
- Pleaded no contest to felony battery and burglary charges
- Suspended for using a false COVID-19 vaccination card
During that span, he was released from all four NFL franchises he formed part of.
