Part 3: Here It Comes

When it comes to hating a player, it doesn’t have to always be personal. The saga of Antonio Brown continues, as the defending Super Bowl Champions have parted ways with the player who walked off the field in the middle of Sunday’s last second win against the New York Jets. Brown, although not fully innocent, has been in the media for years with his antics. What the media has done though, has made you dislike the man himself instead of just the player.

PART 1

Same old Brown, Different Dance

It’s come at no surprise especially following a statement released by Antonio Brown’s attorney. In typical AB fashion as well, expressing himself via social media. This is the side of the veteran receiver that the media will talk about all-day long, but yet refuse to ever bring up a solution that could potentially lead to Brown finally getting the help he needs.

Statement from Antonio Brown/credit: Antonio Brown Twitter

Brown, used a few excuses and placed a huge chunk of the blame on the coaching staff, stating he had an ankle injury and that he was signaled by Bruce Arians, that he was done, referring to his time with the organization. Others close to the situation stated that there was animosity with Brown at half due to his lack of the gameplan involving him. It has been noted that AB was upset of Mike Evans involvement in regards to his statistical milestone compared to Brown’s financial incentive.

Now, it’s time for the NFL and NFLPA to get involved

The next step in the Brown saga, is the league needs to suspend him for the remainder of the season and placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List. This will be the same method they used against Josh Gordon amid is failure of multiple drug tests for his use of Marijuana.

At the end of the day, Brown walked out in the middle of the job. In a normal place of employment, that would’ve warranted termination and in the sports realm, shows his true character towards the only team that took a chance on the troubled athlete. His actions should warrant that suspension for the remainder of the season, as Brown was previously suspended a for three-games for violation of COVID-19 protocols and originally lying about his vaccination status. Further punishment as a repeated offender is placing him on an exemption list, barring him from returning until certain requirements are met. Furthermore, the NFLPA needs to insert themselves in this situation and conduct a full investigation.

What should be the next stop for AB

As I mentioned during Part 2, Brown needs to be evaluated psychologically before being allowed to think of returning to the field. During what should be a suspension, Brown should be referred to the Mayo Clinic for possible traumatic brain injury, also known as TBI which could also be linked to CTE in the near future.

If the NFLPA and league and both committed to helping it’s players, they should take these proper precautions that could potentially prevent further tragedies such as Junior Seau and Vincent Jackson. This could also be an opportunity for light and knowledge to be shed on this subject. The league dedicates a month to mental health, it’s time to do more an reap financial benefits from these things. Time to save these players lives in regards to concussions, mental health, and behavioral health.