Antonio Brown was kicked off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a bizarre, shirtless exit from the field before Tom Brady coolly led the Bucs on a 93-yard drive in the final minutes for a 28-24 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday.
Coach Bruce Arians said after the game that Brown was off the team.
Brown’s mid-game meltdown came late in the third quarter with Tampa Bay trailing 24-10.
He appeared animated while talking to teammate Mike Evans when he stripped off his pads, jersey, gloves and T-shirt.
He ran bare-chested from the field, through the end zone and into the tunnel at MetLife Stadium.
Bucs quarterback Tom Brady called for compassion during a postgame news conference.
"Everybody should hopefully do what they can to help him in ways that he really needs it," Brady said. "We all love him, we care about him deeply. We want him to be at his best and unfortunately he won't be with our team.
"The most important thing about football is the relationship with your friends and teammates, and they go beyond the field."
Brown had caught three passes for 26 yards on the day.
On Monday, Coach Bruce Arians said he has no regrets about giving the often-troubled receiver an opportunity to play with Tom Brady and revive a career derailed by on- and off-the-field issues.
Arians said he wishes Brown well and that if the receiver needs help he hopes Brown gets it.
Arians declined to discuss specifics of what happened but dispelled the notion Brown left after telling coaches he was too injured to re-enter the game.
The Bucs' victory came after quarterback Zach Wilson and the Jets were 2 yards away from sealing an unlikely win.
Wilson was stuffed on fourth-and-2 at the Bucs' 7 for no gain and Brady rallied Tampa Bay back with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Cyril Grayson with 15 seconds left.
Sunday's incident came five weeks after Brown — along with Bucs defensive back Mike Edwards — were suspended for three weeks after they were accused of misrepresenting their vaccine status.
Brown joined the Bucs midway through last season after serving an eight-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
