Antonio Brown says he was forced to play injured by Bucs

By FRED GOODALL
AP Sports Writer

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Antonio Brown says he was forced to play injured by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and that an MRI on Monday revealed damage to his ankle. While not specifying which ankle was hurt, Brown — through a statement released by his attorney on Wednesday — said the MRI showed broken bone fragments, a ligament tear and cartilage loss “which are beyond painful. You can see the bone bulging from the outside.” Bucs coach Bruce Arians said Monday that Brown did not claim he was injured when he refused to re-enter Sunday’s game at the Jets. Arians then told Brown to leave and the wide receiver did so by storming off the field, tossing some of his gear into the stands and waving to fans at MetLife Stadium. Brown told a different story in his statement.