Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians says he wishes Antonio Brown well

By Wayne Sterling, CNN

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians says he cares about wide receiver Antonio Brown and hopes the best for him.

“I wish him well,” Arians said at his weekly press conference on Monday remotely. “I hope if he needs help, get some … It’s very hard because I do care about him.”

While Brown’s future remains unclear, he was not released by the Buccaneers on Monday, according to the NFL’s transactions report.

On Sunday, the seven-time Pro Bowler left the game against the New York Jets late in the third quarter. Following the Buccaneers’ victory against the Jets, Arians said Brown was “no longer a Buc.”

The broadcast showed the 33-year-old appearing to be upset on the sideline, removing his jersey and pads while teammates pleaded with him to stay. A shirtless Brown could be seen throwing his undershirt into the stands as he made his way into the stadium’s tunnel while waving a peace sign.

Arians would not share the nature of the conversation he had with Brown and said the last time he saw the receiver was when Brown left the field. The Bucs head coach also said he has not heard from Brown or his representatives.

When asked if there was any mental health evaluation performed on Brown before he left the stadium, Arians said he had no idea.

Arians said he has no regrets on bringing Brown onto the team and “hopes the best for him.”

Before exiting the game, Brown had three receptions for 26 yards.

After the game, Brown tweeted a photo of himself with the cryptic caption “Super Gremlin.” He also tweeted a link to his new single, “Pit Not The Palace” and posted a series of sponsored images showing himself wearing items from clothing company Fashion Nova on Instagram.

The incident comes weeks after Brown said he was suspended in December for three games without pay following a league investigation, which determined he violated Covid-19 protocols.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Brown in 2010, and he played for them the first nine seasons of his career. Brown was traded to the then-Oakland Raiders ahead of the 2019 season but was released before playing in a regular season game.

Brown then signed with the New England Patriots and played one game before being released again, days after one of his former offseason athletic trainers filed a lawsuit accusing him of rape and assault in 2017 and 2018. Brown denied the allegations and said he would fight to clear his name. The NFL said at the time there was an ongoing investigation into Brown’s conduct.

Brown signed a one-year deal with the Buccaneers in October 2020 and was part of the Bucs team that won the Super Bowl last season.

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CNN’s Amir Vera, Homero De la Fuente and Jacob Lev contributed to this report.