NFL Rumors: Antonio Brown was fed up with Buccaneers' treatment during suspension

As the NFL playoff picture begins to gain further clarity, the football world continues to speculate on Antonio Brown's bizarre in-game departure from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The controversial receiver removed most of his upper equipment during the third quarter action of the Bucs' 28-24 win over the New York Jets on Sunday. He left his jersey and shoulder pads on the sidelines before launching his undershirt into the MetLife Stadium crowd.

After leaving the stadium, while play was in action, it was confirmed that Brown would no longer be a member of the Buccaneers as their Super Bowl defense looms.

Antonio Brown's NFL controversies

Speaking on his self-titled SiriusXM show on Monday, Pat McAfee revealed new information from "somebody not directly related to the situation but feels as if they were in a position to speak."

One of the sparks that led to Brown's fiery walkout was his perceived lack of support from the Buccaneers organization upon returning from a three-game suspension stemming from misrepresenting his COVID-19 vaccination status.

Brown, who was said to have obtained a false vaccination card, was one of three players suspended for such violations. The others were defender Mike Edwards and free-agent receiver John Franklin III.

According to Pat McAfee, Antonio Brown didn't feel that he had received much respect or backing from the team following his three-game suspension.

"Antonio Brown felt as if he did not get as much respect or backing from the Bucs during the suspension era. So that (ticked) him off," McAfee said. "They said, as soon as he came back after that, it was a completely different relationship between the team and AB."

New reports from insiders within the Tampa organization have claimed that Brown refused to re-enter the game against the Jets (which Tampa trailed 24-10 at the time of his walkout) because of an ankle injury.

McAfee said that his source "didn't know how injured or if he was injured or what the injury was" but confirmed that Brown did not want to go back into the contest.

Previous theories hypothesized that Brown was upset that his in-game usage threatened to leave him short of fulfilling the financial parameters of his incentive-laden one-year contract.

"It was not that that they held him out of the game," McAfee said. "It was that he did not want to go back into the game."

The source claimed that audiences have been made privy to the "tailend" of Brown's tirade after conversations with unknown parties. Twitter user and Sunday MetLife Stadium attendee @mmmmillah captured the moment where Brown removed his shoulder pads and jersey, which were left on the Tampa sidelines while they made their comeback.

This incident is just the latest in a long line of incidents that have occurred during Antonio Brown's NFL career, which has seen him play for four teams in the past three years.

Back in December of 2018, Brown, who was on the Steelers, refused to practice ahead of their Week 17 game against the Bengals. It was reported that the reason for Brown's refusal to practice stemmed from a disagreement between him and Roethlisberger. Following his refusal to appear for the team's practice and walkthrough ahead of the game, Brown was released from the team.

In 2019, while on the Raiders, Brown suffered frostbite during a cryotherapy session. This incident caused him to be placed on the non-football injury list.

Later that year, Brown caused a stir when he insisted on using an old helmet that no longer met the NFL's safety guidelines. By September of 2019, following unexcused absences and a verbal assault directed at Raiders' general manager Mike Maylock, Brown was released from team. Not long after, he was picked up by the Patriots.

Also in September of 2019, Brown was hit with a lawsuit that alleged he sexually assaulted Britney Taylor, his former trainer.

Along with this lawsuit, there were other allegations made by a second woman. The allegations, along with Brown's history of not paying money for various services, were reported by Sports Illustrated. Allegedly, Brown sent threatening messages to the woman following the report. After this incident, the Patriots cut Brown.

In January 2020, following an altercation with a Hollywood, Florida-based moving truck driver, Brown was charged with burglary and battery, which are felonies. By June, Brown was in court facing these charges. He pleaded no contest. His sentence was two years probation.

In July of 2020, Brown was suspended by the NFL because he had violated several rules within the league's conduct policy.

In October of 2020, Brown signed with the Buccaneers. In November, he was charged with a misdemeanor for criminal mischief. In April 2021, Brown re-signed with the Buccaneers. In December of last year, it was reported that he had presented a fake vaccination card to the league, thus misrepresenting his vaccination status. This incident resulted in a three-game suspension.

The Buccaneers (12-4), sans Brown, will end the regular season at home on Sunday against Carolina (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS).