TAMPA, Fla. — It's been almost three weeks since Antonio Brown took off his pads and jersey in the middle of a game and skipped off the field shirtless.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released the wide receiver days later and are now two games away from reaching back-to-back Super Bowls.
However, the drama surrounding the former NFL star hasn't gone away as Antonio Brown continues to tell his side of the story.
In the immediate aftermath of his departure from the organization following the shirtless outburst, those around the NFL and the Buccaneers organization, including Tom Brady, alluded to the possibility that Brown is battling mental health issues.
After the game on Jan. 2, Brady said, "I think everyone should be very compassionate and empathetic towards some, you know, very difficult things that are happening."
In a preview of an upcoming episode of "I Am Athlete" that will be posted in full on Jan. 24, Brown tells former NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall that he's not suffering from mental health issues.
"Why every time something happens bad, or how someone reacts, 'Aw, he's crazy, there's something wrong with his mental health,'" Brown said in the clip. "There's nothing wrong with my mental health. Someone told me to get the [expletive] out of here. I'm not passive-aggressive."
Brown is referring to an alleged argument between him and Head Coach Bruce Arians on the sideline before Brown left. Brown says Arians was making him play through an ankle injury and when Brown refused, Arians told him to get off the field.
Arian denies Brown's account and said in a news conference days later, "At no point in time during that game did he ever ask the trainer or a doctor about his ankle."
Arians said Brown was mad he wasn't getting the ball more.
"It started again on the sideline. 'I ain't playing.' 'What's going on?' 'I ain't getting the ball.' That's when I said, 'You're done. Get the [expletive] out of here," said Arians.
According to a statement Brown released following the sideline incident, he intends to play in the NFL again, saying he plans to return to football once he is back to 100 percent.
On Friday during media availability with Bruce Arians, the topic of Antonio Brown did not come up at all. 10 Tampa Bay reached out to the organization for a response.
How did we get here?
Antonio Brown's career started when he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010. A lot of controversial incidents have happened between then and when he joined the Bucs a decade later including:
2017: Live stream of the Steelers locker room which went against NFL rules
2019: Disputes with the NFL and the Raiders organization over which helmet to use
2019: Sexual assault accusations from a former trainer
2020: Brown pleads no contest to felony battery and burglary charges after an incident with a moving truck driver in South Florida
A judge ordered him to undergo a psychological evaluation, follow-up treatment and attend an anger management course.
Brown also had to serve an NFL suspension.
Oct. 2020: The Bucs sign Brown to a one-year deal. He helps Tampa Bay win Super Bowl LV.
2021: Brown sits out three games in December after the NFL determines he misrepresented his COVID vaccination status.
