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Antonio Brown says he was forced to play injured by the Bucs

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown runs with the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 14, 2021, in Philadelphia. Brown and two other NFL players have been suspended immediately for three games by the league for violating COVID-19 protocols.
Matt Rourke
/
AP
Antonio Brown says he was forced to play injured by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and that an MRI on Monday revealed damage to his ankle.

The receiver, who left the field during Sunday's game against the Jets, said an MRI showed he had broken bone fragments in his ankle.

Antonio Brown says he was forced to play injured by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and that an MRI on Monday revealed damage to his ankle.

While not specifying which ankle was hurt, Brown — through a statement released by his attorney on Wednesday — said the MRI showed broken bone fragments, a ligament tear and cartilage loss “which are beyond painful. You can see the bone bulging from the outside.”

Bucs coach Bruce Arians said Monday that Brown did not claim he was injured when he refused to re-enter Sunday’s game at the Jets.

Arians then told Brown to leave and the wide receiver did so by storming off the field, tossing some of his gear into the stands and waving to fans at MetLife Stadium.

Brown told a different story in his statement.

The Bucs on Thursday officially severed ties with Brown by terminating his contract.

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