Antonio Brown has reversed field on his recent jabs directed at Tom Brady.
After saying last week that his former Patriots and Buccaneers quarterback was only his friend because “I’m a good football player” and “he needs me to play football,” Brown said Friday that he has since spoken with Brady and indicated their relationship is fine.
“Listen, I love Tom. That’s my guy. Don’t get it twisted,” Brown, 33, told TMZ Sports outside a Beverly Hills restaurant. “A lot of words were taken out of substance.
“Tom is one of my true friends in the midst of adversity that was there for me, so don’t get it twisted about nothing with Tom Brady. He’s a GOAT. Great player. Great teammate. Don’t let my distractions or what’s going on with me take away from that.”
Brown, who was released by the Buccaneers after stripping off his jersey and leaving the field at MetLife Stadium against the Jets on Jan. 2, added that he clarified with Brady the comments he made about the seven-time Super Bowl winning quarterback on the “Full Send Podcast” on Jan. 7.
Asked by TMZ if he’d root for Brady and the Buccaneers in their playoff game Sunday against the Eagles, Brown replied “of course” and said he’s “rooting for the best team.”
The seven-time Pro Bowl receiver also revealed that he’ll need offseason surgery “soon” on the ankle injury he has claimed was at the root of his sideline disagreement with Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians.
When asked if he hopes to continue his NFL career in 2022 and what he’d say to possible interested but hesitant teams, Brown answered, “Of course. I’d say once I get healthy, I’ll be ready to go.”
“Obviously I could have handled my emotions better.” he added, “but sometimes under anger, you might not handle yourself the right way.”
The 33-year-old Brown also discussed his viral video from last week hanging out with Floyd Mayweather, Kanye West and Madonna, He said that he and West “got something [music-related] brewing, we got a lot of stuff working, so stay tuned.”