“I believe in second chances” - When Bruce Arians made feelings known about Antonio Brown signing with Buccaneers

Wide receiver Antonio Brown’s signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was met with raised eyebrows, as the former New England Patriots wideout had multiple charges against him. Although most of these cases were settled and Brown had received the green light from the NFL to play after his eight-game suspension, his career still had a stain due to the allegations.

When Bucs coach Bruce Arians was asked about the controversial signing, he showed empathy. He told USA Today in October 2020:

“I think he's matured, and I believe in second chances.”

Brown found himself facing various allegations dating to 2017 with his former trainer, Britney Taylor. The duo took the matter to civil court in 2019. Taylor later brought the allegations to the NFL, which ultimately forced the Patriots to release Brown. As a result, he was handed an eight-game suspension by the league for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

When asked about the allegations against Brown, Arians deferred to the judicial system:

“Let the court system do its job. Allegations – I've been around a lot of players that have had allegations that weren't true, some were – so let the court system handle it. If it's found out to be true, he won't be with us.”

Arians also said that they would try to integrate Brown into the team if he followed his instructions.

“When the time was right, would we see if we could pull the trigger and fit him into what we want to get done? And we'll see. If Antonio does what I think he's gonna do, I think he's gonna be fine.”

As it turned out, Taylor and Brown reached an out-of-court settlement under undisclosed conditions. Consequently, Brown joined the team after serving his eight-game suspension and passing a COVID-19 protocol test.

Bruce Arians denied involvement of Tom Brady in Antonio Brown's signing

Fans speculated that Antonio Brown’s signing may have resulted from Tom Brady’s influence, as the two had played together on the Patriots. However, Arians said that the decision was solely his and general manager Jason Licht’s:

“Everybody wants to say that Tom picked him. Tom didn't have anything to do with it. This was something (Licht) and I had been talking (about) for a couple weeks, ever since the injuries to our other guys.”

Brown repaid the team’s trust with 87 catches for 1,082 yards and eight touchdowns, ultimately helping the Bucs secure a Super Bowl-winning season.