TAMPA, Fla. — Former buccaneers wide receiver anthony brown said his recent lateral outburst against the new york jets which resulted in his firing from the Buccaneers, and previous incidents in which he was involved, have been erroneously categorized as “mental health issues”.
In a preview of an episode of “I Am Athlete” to be published in full on January 24, Brown tells former NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall that he does not suffer from mental health issues.
“Everyone in the world had a different way of reacting to what happened to me. And it’s all based on where you’re from, how you feel, and no one will really know, regardless of who you are,” Brown said. “The thing about football players, mental health and CTE is this: These guys are willing to do whatever it takes to make a forced win. But in the midst of those wins, along that journey, they are being mistreated, there are a lot of things that happened that may not have been handled correctly.
“And then you started your career at the top. It’s like a roller coaster. You go up, and then as soon as it’s going to go down, everyone leaves… If all the players and everyone say that we care about mental health, why does each Anytime something goes wrong or someone goes, ‘Oh, he’s crazy, there’s something wrong with his mental health,'” Brown asked. “There’s nothing wrong with my mental health. Someone said to me, ‘Get the hell out of here.'” I’m not passive-aggressive.”
Brown and his attorney Sean Burstyn claimed the Bucs tried to mislabel his outburst as a mental health issue and wanted Brown to get counseling. Brown claims his ankle was too injured to play and Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians told him to leave the field.
Since the Buccaneers released him earlier this month, Brown has focused on his music career and rehabbing his ankle, which will require surgery. He indicated that he wants to continue playing football next year. He released a music single, “Pit Not the Palace”. He appeared on the court for a Brooklyn Nets-Memphis Grizzlies game two weeks ago. He has participated in photo shoots and has been linked with his friends Kanye West, Floyd Mayweather and Madonna.
In the past, however, he acknowledged seeking mental health treatment. His father, Eddie Brown, told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that Brown was in therapy after his release by the new england patriots in 2019, which coincided with two reports of sexual assault.
Brown has also indicated that he supports mental health treatment. In an interview with ESPN in February 2020Brown was asked if he needed mental health help, to which he replied, “We all need mental help.”
At that time, the circumstances of Brown’s life were different. He had been arrested and charged with felony burglary and assault charges. The mother of three of her children, Chelsie Kyriss, posted on Instagram at the time that she and her children were focused on building a new life “free from impulsive, reckless and unhealthy behaviors.” She added that her hope is that Brown “gets help and seeks the mental health treatment he desperately needs so he can be the father all of his children need and deserve.”
He and Kyriss came to terms, and she and her children were present when Brown and the Bucs defeated the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LV. Brown also underwent anger management counseling and his conditional freedom he was fired a year earlier for good behavior. On numerous occasions prior to his departure from the Bucs, both general manager Jason Licht and Arians described him as a “model citizen.”
Arians said of Brown’s departure: “Yes, it was very difficult. I wish him the best. I hope that if he needs help, [that he] gets something. It’s very difficult because I care about him.”
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