TAMPA, Fla. — The right glove that former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown threw into the stands mid-meltdown at MetLife Stadium on Jan. 2 is up for auction.
The listing, which can be found at Lelands Sports Memorabilia and Card Auctions, calls it “a tangible memento from an iconic NFL moment.” It is currently up to $310 after 24 hours, with a starting bid of $81, which was Brown’s jersey number with the Buccaneers.
Brown said the emotional response was due to coach Bruce Arians telling him to leave the field after he said he told Arians he was too injured to continue playing. Brown also threw his undershirt into the stands because he refused to wear the Bucs’ logo any longer. He then proceeded to jog across the end zone into the tunnel in his last outing as a Buccaneer.
Arians said Brown never told him that he was too injured to play and that Brown’s frustrations stemmed from a lack of targets, requiring multiple teammates to calm him at halftime.
Bucs general manager Jason Licht told ESPN that in the week leading up to the episode, Brown and his agent Ed Wasielewski had asked the Bucs to guarantee $2 million in his contract that was previously tied to incentives. The Bucs declined the request.
Brown and his attorney, Sean Burstyn, have threatened legal action against the Buccaneers for his termination, including a possible defamation lawsuit, claiming that the Bucs pushed him to play through pain and have pushed a mental health narrative that is false.
An MRI performed shortly after the incident revealed broken bone fragments, a ligament torn from the bone and cartilage loss, Burstyn said.
In a unique twist, the inside of the glove features a logo that has been blacked out — the then-Oakland Raiders — who released Brown in September 2019 after Brown’s confrontation with then-general manager Mike Mayock, leading to the Raiders voiding nearly $30 million in contract guarantees.
Brown said he still wants to play in the NFL next season, after his ankle heals from surgery.