NEWSAntonio Brown's Brother Says It Was 'A Real Selfish Move' To Leave Mid-Game After Video Goes Viral: 'There's No Honor In Quitting'
Jan. 3 2022, Published 10:01 a.m. ET
Antonio Brown's brother is speaking out about the NFL star's recent outburst.
The 33-year-old athlete appeared to have a meltdown after he stormed off the field in the middle of his team's game against the New York Jets on Sunday, January 2. He was seen ripping off his jersey and flashing the crowd a peace sign before leaving the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver's dramatic exit, his brother Desmond Brown called the stunt "selfish" during an interview with Daily Caller on Sunday.
He also tried guessing what may have caused his brother's outburst, explaining that he "wanted to get those incentives and realized it wasn't going to happen." (Antonio was nearing contract incentives which could have granted him nearly one million dollars in bonuses depending on his performance).
"Maybe something happened in the locker room," his brother continued, while still admitting that it is "a real selfish move to leave [in the] middle of the game like that though."
"There's no honor in quitting," he added.
Shortly after the now-viral video began making headlines, Antonio took to his social media accounts to address the incident, calling himself "Super Gremlin" in one of his posts.
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He also posted an Instagram Story of the same photo, this time writing: "I knew the game was still going I left cause I'm super gremlin."
In the interview, his brother explained that "Super Gremlin" is a new Kodack Black song about "being betrayed by people that was [sic] close to you," which could have been directed at Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians.
While suggesting that Antonio feels as if he was betrayed by his coach, Desmond insisted that he didn't "want to point any fingers because [he] could be wrong." He also mentioned that Antonio may have hurt his ankle, which could have "something to do with it."
Desmond continued, noting that it "seems like he feels he was treated unfairly … and now he's getting some type of self-reflection or self-awakening," he said. "He probably realizes now that it might be over for playing in the NFL because that's what he do and not who he is."
Following the incident, Antonio also took to Instagram, writing, "Football is what we do, not who we are!" alongside a photo from a Fashion Nova promotion.
Arians revealed after the game that Antonio is "no longer a Buc" and later told Fox NFL Sunday that he had "never seen anything like it in all my years."
