Former Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown will have surgery on his ankle on Jan. 18, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
The Buccaneers released Brown on Thursday, days after the wide receiver abruptly left the field during the team's contest vs. the Jets.
On Wednesday night, Brown, via his attorney Sean Burstyn, accused the team of executing an “ongoing cover-up" of the fact that he was effectively cut during the game. In it, Burstyn and Brown alleged that the team ignored what was a "well-known ankle injury" prior to Brown leaving the field shirtless mid-game.
Arians had said Brown made no mention of an ankle injury before leaving the field, a claim that Brown said Wednesday was “100% inaccurate.”
The team said in a statement Thursday that while Brown did receive treatment leading up to Sunday, he was cleared by the team's medical staff and “at no point during the game did he indicate he could not play.”
“We have attempted, multiple times throughout the week, to schedule an evaluation by an outside orthopedic specialist, yet Antonio has not complied,” the Buccaneers added. “Maintaining the health and wellness of our players is of the utmost importance to our organization.”
Brown returned to action on Dec. 26. He missed two months of the 2021 season due to both an ankle injury and a three-game suspension for misrepresenting his COVID-19 vaccination status.
In two seasons with the Buccaneers, Brown recorded 1,002 yards and eight touchdowns.
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