Tom Brady seeks compassion and empathy for Antonio Brown

Posted by Mike Florio on January 2, 2022, 4:56 PM EST
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The man regarded as most responsible for bringing Antonio Brown to Tampa Bay has addressed Brown’s departure from the team.

Via Greg Auman of TheAthletic.com, quarterback Tom Brady called for compassion and empathy for his now-former teammate.

“That’s obviously a difficult situation,” Brady said. “We all love him and care about him deeply. . . . I think everyone should be compassionate and empathetic toward some very difficult things.”

Brady is right. And here’s hoping that Brady, who won a seventh Super Bowl ring with assistance from Brown, will be as vigilant about getting Brown help as Brady was about keeping Brown out of trouble when his ongoing employment depended on it.

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88 responses to “Tom Brady seeks compassion and empathy for Antonio Brown”

  4. You enabled it and so did your organization, as did Goodell!

    If you really cared about his mental health, he wouldn’t be playing.

  5. He behaves this way because he’s never faced real consequences. Want to help him? Teach him to be a man, grow up.

  11. If Tampa Bay cared, they would not cut him, but use his remaining contract to leverage him into mental health assessment.

  15. “I think everyone should be compassionate and empathetic toward some very difficult things.” – TB12

    I agree completely. Trying to be empathetic towards him (i.e., putting myself in his situation) I have zero compassion for how he acts. Pay me what he’s paid and I’ll be a 100% better human being than he’s ever been.

  16. “Teach him to be a man; grow up.”

    I know my comment will get downvoted into oblivion, but as a mental health advocate, I can’t let this kind of ignorance slide. Re: “Man up” and “Grow up.” Mental health simply doesn’t work that way.

  18. I find it impossible to be sympathetic to Brown by this point.

    Worst part is, this isn’t the dumbest thing Brown has ever done amd this was spectacularly unhinged and stupid.

  19. No chance. You reap what you sow. He doesn’t deserve empathy from anyone. Maybe his mother, that’s about it.

  20. Brown has had mental health issues forever. I was surprised he lasted as long as he had (most likely because of TB12). Dude’s a prima donna

  21. I’m going with Brady on this one and not 99.9% of people who don’t know AB and the 100% who were knocked out by Vontez Burfict. Otherwise, feel free to comment on things you have no personal knowledge of.

  22. There’s something wrong with the guy for sure. But it’s made immeasurably worse by all the enablers he’s had throughout his life.

  25. I just hope a playoff team doesn’t sign Brown. Otherwise, we have a lot of hypocrites here.

  26. No. Too much attention is given to too few (especially celebrities like AB) that simply don’t deserve it. If a man with all of his blessings isn’t able to control himself at this age then it is time to move on to another that deserves a second chance (not a 10th). Some are simply lost and need to find their own way while we should shift focus & efforts to those that are more deserving of assistance.

  28. AB clearly needs help, and Brady thought being on the team, good chemistry/vibes, etc. could help him. Obviously Brady knows now that is not the case. I’m certain most of us have had friends that we feel we could help. Hoping AB gets the help he needs as obviously he’s needed it for sometime….

  30. of course Brady would say this, it makes him look better and that’s what he cares about most

  31. Brady seeks compassion and empathy for Antonio Brown only because it helps cover his rear for ever wanting AB on the team in the first place.

  32. He’s simply a jerk who has never been told “no” in his life. A man behaving like a child. Screw him.

  35. It speaks to Brady’s character that he is willing to go out on a limb for a player that just walked out in the middle of the game. AB’s NFL career is undoubtedly over, but with his fame and connections, Brady might be able to help AB get a new job in the food service or janitorial industries.

  36. That someone could throw away one of the greatest jobs in the world says a lot about the human condition and the relative value of things… whew.

  37. Maybe AB can join the Manningcast tomorrow and explain his side of the story during Big Ben’s last home game at Heinz Field. I’d tune in for that.

  38. If Brady really cared as much as he claims he would say “I have done enough in the NFL”, retire immediately, and devote the next few years helping his friend Antonio Brown.

    If he cared.

  40. I found the whole thing shocking as a fan and unsettling as a human being. This was more than a meltdown a mental breakdown would be a better term. Hopefully brown gets help before he hurts himself or someone else.

  42. I’ve had enough of Brady and his mission to keep a guy in the NFL who should’ve been out of the league long ago. Spare us the speeches about compassion Brady, we all know your selfish reasons for saying this. Brady is convinced Brown is the receiver he needs to keep Brady winning and basking in his own public glorification. It’s downright sick. I wouldn’t be surprised if General Manager Brady goes to Arians and demands Brown be given another chance.

    Antonio Brown is an abuser of women who wouldn’t have been signed by any other team. Tom Brady is the All-American fraud who puts his thirst for glory above all else.

  43. “… but as a mental health advocate, I can’t let this kind of ignorance slide …”

    As a person who hates virtue signaling I can’t let this ignorant, self-serving statement slide.

  44. Compassion? This guy is a selfish self-centered complete P.O.S that rips off people who work for him and many other horrible offenses to anyone who comes in contact with him.

    I’m so sick of people saying he has mental health issues. No people he beyond entitled and has never truly had to face any real consequences for his disgusting behavior.

    Please #NFL do not give this diva another down in the league and let him star in his own future 30 For 30

  45. I don’t like Brady but he’s not wrong. There is something wrong. Remember this is the same guy that signed a huge contract then torpedoed everything for no logical reason. You can’t blame someone for having mental illness.
    He may have just blown an opportunity at another ring and millions for yet again no reason.

  46. It will be a lot easier to give him sympathy once an NFL team isn’t benefitting from him being on their roster. This could easily be from a result of concussions. Stop exploiting the guy and get him actual help if you care so much.

  47. Tom Terrific is the one who got him back into a business that pours gasoline on his mental illness fire, so he should be the one to provide the help. He can certainly afford the bills.

  48. Yes, Tom. We should have compassion and empathy for an obviously disturbed young man. On the other hand, perhaps you shouldn’t have allowed him back on the team when he had already demonstrated how disturbed and delusional he was.

  50. “Empathy is what Joe Biden voters do. So, no. Not happening.”

    No one “does” empathy. It’s a trait you have or don’t. If you have it you make an attempt to see things from the perspective of others. If not, you don’t.

  51. A generational talent, but Brown is obviously mentally ill. As a person I genuinely hope he seeks help and receives it. From a fans perspective, this is addition by subtraction for the Bucs.

  52. I think AB is having an actual mental health episode. I think Brady’s words reflect that. This feels like the Charlie Sheen Tiger Blood days.

  54. 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th……….chance? Actually get help instead of people giving you chances and covering for your behavior. At some point stop enabling and help him outside of football as opposed to helping him help you on it.

  55. Please listen to Brady.

    Because nothing would be better than a repeat of this in a Playoff loss.

  56. Brown sure looks like a guy with bipolar disorder. Anyone who has ever known someone who has it and is either yet to be diagnosed or is off their meds knows that you’re dealing with someone who isn’t likely to be able to deal with it on their own. The Bucs knew he has major issues including felony behavior, enabled him by looking the other way when he committed a felony while on probation, and then when he did what someone with an untreated mental illness does, they cut him lose and washed their hands of him. To me that lacks class, empathy and integrity. That’s their prerogative. But spare me the “we’re a family” talk.

  57. It’s hard to really get a good grip on how I feel about AB. He’s annoying, childish and so friggen selfish but I’m almost positive he’s suffering from mental health problems. Even though I can’t stand the man and thinks he’s a loser, I hope he can figure his issues out.

  58. Not the best idea to have a guy with obvious mental illness get put in a position to take shots too the head.
    He needs to tap out of football. If you say then he needs help I’m fine with that. He does. Don’t compound his troubles. He has to be done.
    It is a sad as it was entertaining.

  59. seems the compassion and empathy should have come from his employer after he got caught giving them fake documentation. compassion and empathy as in “you have a problem and we want to help you get help”.

    “we want you for a playoff run, try not to make us look bad” is not it.

  60. Brown has been given the benefit of the doubt so often that the benefits are exhausted and the doubt remains. Buh-bye

  61. Would like to see the NFL step up–encourage Brown to get full evaluation and support his pursuit of whatever health treatment is indicated. It would serve as a powerful example and public service to help overcome social stigma and shame that prevents so many from getting the help they need and would benefit from.

    Just reading some comments here shows how many still have deep shame and ill-will toward those suffering with conditions they both fail to comprehend and falsely attribute to things like “growing up”.

    Like many illnesses, folks are most often blameless in having them….but who may benefit from getting treatment.

  62. redlikethepig says:
    January 2, 2022 at 5:06 pm
    There’s something wrong with the guy for sure. But it’s made immeasurably worse by all the enablers he’s had throughout his life.

    ———————-

    It was made immeasurably worse by Vontaze Burfict. There was a definite before and after to that head shot he gave Brown.

  64. Screw that. He’s been given 1,000 extra chances because he can catch. He’s a certified dick and always has been. Go to prison or be homeless. It’s a choice we’ve all faced over the years. He deserves nothing except his actual reckoning at this point.

  65. What a joke. Tom Brady doesn’t care one bit about Antonio Brown, Brady cares about Brady and thinks Brown is the key to keep getting Tommy his glorification as the “GOAT” and the sports media slobbering all over him. That’s why Brown got second, third and fourth chances when he deserved none.

    Judging from this little compassion speech I wouldn’t be surprised if Brady tries to get Brown back on the team. It’s all for the glory of Tom Brady.

  66. Being selfish and entitled isn’t a mental illness. AB is a man child. Quit helping him get away with things the rest of us would pay over and over for whether financially or in prison time. He doesn’t need compassion, he needs his butt handed to him and a shock back to reality.

  68. The guy has CTE. No one wants to admit the game we love causes some to get head injuries that are life changing, but the evidence is everywhere.

  69. clevelandchokes says:
    January 2, 2022 at 6:01 pm
    What a joke. Tom Brady doesn’t care one bit about Antonio Brown, Brady cares about Brady and thinks Brown is the key to keep getting Tommy his glorification as the “GOAT” and the sports media slobbering all over him. That’s why Brown got second, third and fourth chances when he deserved none.

    Judging from this little compassion speech I wouldn’t be surprised if Brady tries to get Brown back on the team. It’s all for the glory of Tom Brady.

    ————-
    THIS

  70. RE LEE says:
    January 2, 2022 at 6:02 pm
    On the offside, Brady still owns the AFC East.

    0 2 Rate This

    —————

    He does? Did you see his god awful day today vs the lowly Jets?

    lol!

  71. After Vontaze Burfict scrambled his brains in that wildcard game in Jan. 2016 Brown was never the same after that. He needs to see a doctor before whatever is wrong with him kills him.

  72. TB12 exploited AB. How much compassion woudl he have if AB ran an 8.4 forty and had hands of stone?

  73. What doctor determined that? Oh right Dr. Tom. Sorry not from me. If you need help get it. This is 2022 not 1980. Help is everywhere.

  74. Only in modern times would we excuse a major jerk (to put it nicely) for mental health issues.

  75. Brady went on record a couple months ago saying he often says things that he doesn’t really believe. I don’t know if this is one of those times, but Brady is the guy that enabled Brown to come to Tampa. For years people blamed Mike Tomlin for the lunacy surrounding Brown. I wonder if they’re going to blame Arians and Brady.

  76. heLLpaso says:
    January 2, 2022 at 5:08 pm
    He doesn’t deserve neither.
    ———————-
    So which one do you think he should get?

  80. YEAH compassion is in order and we should all be slow to condemn Brown.howver hes repeatedky proven himself unable to act in teans best interests. Therefore remove him from the team and wish him the best and offer help for his myriad issues.

  81. richndc says:
    January 2, 2022 at 5:00 pm

    He behaves this way because he’s never faced real consequences. Want to help him? Teach him to be a man, grow up.

    ——————————————————————————-

    If it’s a behavioral issue with no underlying medical condition, I’d agree all the way. Brown sure looks like a guy exhibiting symptoms of something like Bipolar Disorder or Borderline Personality Disorder. And if that’s the case, tough love does nothing, because the link between behaviors and the consequences of those behaviors is broken. If the league or the Bucs cared about Brown as anything other than a product, they would have made getting treatment the path to getting back on the field, not just suspension and fine. But we’re talking about a league that hid substantial evidence about the effects of their game on the brains of the people who play it even when it was leading to suicides and severe cognitive and behavioral issues, so that’s not what happened. And it’s probably not what will happen now.

  82. I love how suddenly it’s about compassion and empathy after he’s no longer useful for you.

    Where was compassion and empathy in the beginning when you should have done that instead of bringing him on board because you thought you could win?

    If you were really that concerned about him, MULTIPLE TEAMS would have offered him help instead of a contract.

    Gimme a break.

  83. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  84. He does? Did you see his god awful day today vs the lowly Jets?

    34/50 410 yards 3 tds 1 int
    93 yards game winning drive.

    “God Awful “ … nailed it , again

  85. I feel awful for Antonio Brown, he is just misunderstood and it seams that a lot of people want to kick this poor young man when he is down, it’s just awful of our society to pile on.

    (Did that sound like I really cared?)

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