Tampa Bay Buccaneers have officially terminated Antonio Brown contract

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced Thursday that they have released wide receiver Antonio Brown, less than 24 hours after he posted a lengthy statement stating he intends to undergo surgery to repair his injured ankle.

In releasing Brown, the Buccaneers said in a statement that he was “cleared to play by our medical team prior to the start of the game and at no point during the game did he indicate to our medical personnel that he could not play.”

Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians speaks to the media following the release of Antonio Brown.

BUCCANEERS STATEMENT ON THE RELEASE OF ANTONIO BROWN

“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have terminated the contract of Antonio Brown, effective immediately. While Antonio did receive treatment on his ankle and was listed on the injury report the week leading up to last Sunday’s game, he was cleared to play by our medical team prior to the start of the game and at no point during the game did he indicate to our medical personnel that he could not play. We have attempted, multiple times throughout this week, to schedule an evaluation by an outside orthopedic specialist, yet Antonio has not complied. Maintaining the health and wellness of our players is of the utmost importance to our organization.”