What happened to Antonio Brown? Bruce Arians won’t give reason for Buccaneers’ mid-game release

Antonio Brown’s time with the Buccaneers came to an abrupt end Sunday.

Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians announced Brown’s fate after the Buccaneers’ 28-24 win over the Jets in Week 17.

“He is no longer a Buc,” Arians told reporters. “That’s the end of the story. Let’s talk about the guys who went out and won the game.”

MORE: Topless Antonio Brown apparently quits on Buccaneers

While Arians didn’t public provide a reason for Brown’s dismissal, Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reports that it was because Arians asked Brown to enter the game and the veteran receiver refused.

Meanwhile, ESPN’s Jenna Laine reports that Brown was not benched before he left the game. He just “quit” when he had his meltdown.

Brown was seen speaking with Mike Evans on the Buccaneers’ sideline just before his meltdown during the third quarter. Shortly thereafter, he ripped off his jersey, pads and undershirt and left the field.

Brown threw his undershirt into the stands on his way to the locker room. He briefly stopped in the end-zone to pump up the Jets crowd and gave them a peace sign as he disappeared. He didn’t return to the field.

This isn’t the first time that Brown has been in trouble during his career, or even during the last month. In December, he was suspended three games after misrepresenting his vaccination status. However, Arians decided to welcome him back to the team after his suspension; Brown’s latest outburst was apparently too much to overcome.

MORE: Antonio Brown’s timeline of trouble

With Brown gone and Chris Godwin out for the season with a torn ACL, Mike Evans is the only starting receiver still left standing for Tampa Bay. The team will have to rely more upon Breshad Perriman, Tyler Johnson and Cyril Grayson, who had the game-winning touchdown catch against the Jets, moving forward as they prepare for another postseason run.

What’s next for Brown? That much is unclear, but he spent Sunday afternoon crafting cryptic social media posts in the aftermath of his release. One of them, a sponsored Instagram post, had a caption that read: “Football is what we do, not who we are!”