Nearly three months after Antonio Brown’s controversial exit from the Buccaneers, which included a dispute about the status of his ankle, he has yet to undergo surgery.
The 33-year-old wide receiver told TMZ he’s waiting to get his ankle repaired until he signs with a new NFL team.
“I need to get my ankle fixed, but I just want to make sure I’ve got an obligation or a commitment from a team,” Brown said. “It’s a lot for a guy to go through surgery without an idea of where you’re gonna work or who you’re g onna work for. I think as a player, I understand that I can do all the things in my physical life and move and function normally.”
Brown infamously jogged off the field mid-game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium on Jan. 2, going shirtless and throwing his gloves into the crowd. The Buccaneers claimed Brown wouldn’t take the field when asked, and there was speculation that Brown was upset about not being in position to hit contract incentives. Brown said his ankle was too injured to play.
Brown, who has since become president of Kanye West’s Donda Sports agency, says he would “love” to keep playing, but doesn’t anticipate a reunion with Tom Brady, who earlier this month announced his return after a 40-day retirement.
“I don’t think that’s a possibility with how things was handled, how I was handled in regards to the injury,” Brown told TMZ.
One of the people Brown had issues with, Bruce Arians, is no longer the Bucs’ head coach as he stepped aside Wednesday for a front office role. Ex-Jets coach Todd Bowles, who was Tampa Bay’s defensive coordinator, was named the Bucs’ new coach.