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Antonio Brown denies having mental health struggles after outburst, Bucs departure

Ryan Young
·Staff writer
·3 min read

Though his outburst and shocking departure from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has led to speculation, fair or otherwise, Antonio Brown insists that there is “nothing wrong with my mental health.”

Brown, speaking with Brandon Marshall and others in an upcoming episode of “I Am Athlete” that will drop next week, said that he’s fine following his wild on-field exit earlier this month.

"Everyone in the world got a different form of reactions of what happened to me. And it's all based upon where you from, how you feel, and no one really gonna know that regardless of who you is," Brown said. "The thing with football players, mental health and CTE is this: These guys are willing to do whatever it take to make some obligated gain. But there in the midst of those gains, along that journey, they're being mistreated, it’s a lot of stuff that went on that may not have been handled right.

"And then you started your career on a high. It's like a roller coaster. You go up, and then as soon as it bout to go down, everyone leave ... If we all players and we all saying we care about mental health, why every time something happens bad or how someone reacts, 'Aw, he's crazy, there's something wrong with his mental health.’ There's nothing wrong with my mental health.”

Brown released from Bucs after wild mid-game exit

Brown stormed off the field in the second half of the Buccaneers’ game against the New York Giants earlier this month. He suddenly was seen on the sideline at MetLife Sidelines ripping off his helmet and shoulder pads, shirt and gloves before he trotted off the field and into the locker room.

The Bucs released him days later, though not before Brown released texts where he called out Tom Brady, coach Bruce Arians and trainer Alex Guerrero. Brown has claimed that Arians and the Bucs tried to force Brown to play on an injured ankle — something Arians has said that he didn’t know about. In a statement, the team said that Brown was cleared to play, and that he never told their medical staff during the game that he couldn’t perform.

Brown continued taking shots at people in the coming days, and called out Brady and Rob Gronkowski on a podcast. He also dropped a song, sat courtside at a Brooklyn Nets game and spent time with Kanye West, Floyd Mayweather and Madonna in recent weeks.

The incident in New Jersey marked the latest in Brown’s career. He has faced multiple sexual assault allegations and was accused of using a fake COVID-19 vaccination card. He has undergone anger management counseling and underwent therapy in 2019, his dad told ESPN at the time. The mother of his children also reportedly posted on Instagram at that time and said that she hoped Brown “will get help and seek the mental health treatment that he so desperately needs.”

Brady, Arians and others have wished Brown well following his exit. Brady said that “everybody should hopefully do what they can to help him in ways that he really needs it.”

“I wish him well. I hope, if he needs help, [that he] gets some,” Arians said earlier this month, via ESPN. “It’s very hard because I do care about him.”