Antonio Brown is no longer part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, says coach

(CNN) – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 28-24 win over the New York Jets was not without drama Sunday.

Bucs wide receiver Antonio Brown appears to have retired midgame as he was seen on the bench removing his jersey and walking away from the team.

The CBS video showed that Brown seemed to be upset in the band and inexplicably began to remove his jersey and pads as his teammates begged him to stay. Shirtless Brown could be seen throwing his jersey into the stands as he made his way to the stadium tunnel while waving a peace sign.

“He’s not a Buc anymore, okay? That’s the end of the story,” coach Bruce Arians said in a post-match interview.

Bucs quarterback Tom Brady told reporters after the game that the incident was “obviously a difficult situation.”

“We all love him and care about him deeply,” Brady said, adding that their relationship goes beyond being teammates. “I think everyone should be compassionate and empathetic with some very difficult things that are happening.”

Brady said he was unaware of the details of the incident.

After Game, Brown tweeted a picture of himself with the message “Super Gremlin”.

Brown was sanctioned in December

The incident comes weeks after Brown said that was suspended in december for three games without pay following a league investigation that found he violated covid-19 protocols.

In a press release, the NFL said there was evidence that Brown and two other players had “misrepresented their vaccination status.” The other two players were Mike Edwards and wide receiver John Franklin III, who has been on the Bucs’ practice team.

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

Brown later signed with the New England Patriots and played a game before being released again, days after a former athletic coach sued. 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 that there was a research ongoing on Brown’s conduct.

Brown signed a one year contract with the Buccaneers in October 2020.

CNN’s Jacob Lev contributed to this report.