Forced To Play Despite Injury & Given a “Dangerous Painkiller”

Antonio Brown is telling his side of the story about his early exit from last Sunday’s Buccaneers game.  The wide receiver released a statement through his attorney on Wednesday that says he left the field during the game because he was being forced to play through an ankle injury. 

“Because of my commitment to the game, I relented to pressure directly from my coach to play injured. Despite the pain, I suited up, the staff injected me with what I now know was a powerful and sometimes dangerous painkiller that the NFLPA has warned against using, and I gave it my all for the team,”

According to the statement released by AB’s attorney, coach Bruce Arians threatened to cut the wide receiver from the team if he didn’t take the field. 

“I played until it was clear that I could not use my ankle to safely perform my playing responsibilities. On top of that, the pain was extreme. I took a seat on the sideline and my coach came up to me, very upset, and shouted, ‘What’s wrong with you? What’s wrong with you?’ I told him, ‘It’s my ankle.’ But he knew that.”

Brown says he had an MRI on Monday that showed broken bone fragments, a ligament tear, and loss of cartilage.  He also disputed Arians’ claims that the team wasn’t aware of the injury. 

Coach Arians told reporters that Brown was no longer on the team after Sunday’s game, but the team still hasn’t made a formal transaction.