The Antonio Brown and Tom Brady connection was something NFL fans desperately wanted to work on the football field, but it came together and imploded on two completely different teams.
There was no meant-to-be in that short-lived fairy tale that ultimately ended up turning into a nightmare.
Brown recently appeared on Tyreek Hill’s “It Needed To Be Said” podcast, where he opened up about a conversation he had with Brady the year after the duo won a Super Bowl together at Tampa Bay.
The troubled receiver talked about being suspended after allegedly obtaining a fake COVID-19 vaccination card. He also spoke about coming off the bench, taking less money and feeling like the Bucs’ organization was out to get him—all while playing through an injury. Those issues came to a head, according to Brown, when speaking with Brady.
“These boys know I’m hurt, they put the COVID, I get suspended, they told me come and now I told them I’m not coming because now I see they was already trying to take me down the wrong way and I was really official,” said Brown. “So now I meet with Tom Brady, and he like giving me talks, like he think like I’m like a narcissist.
“I’m like ‘What bro? I already been over here low volume because I’m really supposed to be turned up because I’m really a go-to guy. I’m the head. I’m not really a tail. I’m here to get these guys inspired. I’m already coming off the bench playing while I’m hurt. I’m the spark. So now you not seeing me for who I’m is.'”
During the segment, Brown called Brady out for not throwing him the ball enough. He also took a dig at Brady’s trainer, Alex Guerrero, for not reading MRIs and proceeding to work on his body anyways, despite Brown having a torn ligament.
The issues eventually culminated into the seven-time Pro Bowl wideout removing his jersey, walking off the field and quitting on his team in their Week 17 game against the New York Jets back in January 2022.
Full video of Antonio Brown quitting in the middle of the game 🍿
🎥: @mmmmillah
pic.twitter.com/Bwi9yPACJ6— PFF (@PFF) January 2, 2022
Brown claimed there were no hard feelings with Brady during the interview. He said the two didn’t really have a lot in common off the field. The only thing they really shared was their greatness on it and the short time they spent together as teammates.
“That’s life, man. We work with people, you live with people, life goes on. We all got a life to live. We don’t hate no one. There’s no bad energy and no negative vibes. You know, we all have a stint in each other’s life and life go on,” said Brown.
