Antonio Brown: Tom Brady was his friend because ‘he needs me to play football’

TAMPA, Fla. — Antonio Brown said Friday that his friendship with Tom Brady was based only on the fact that he could help the future Hall of Fame quarterback win football games.

Appearing on the Full Send podcast, the former Bucs receiver called Brady the team’s “GM” and a “politician” and wondered why Brady never threw him the football as much as Ben Roethlisberger did when Brown played in Pittsburgh.

“Tom Brady is the general manager,” Brown said. “He’s the guy my agent made the contract with. He’s the middleman and a politician. I talked to Tom, and he knows I’m not going to play. To me, a friend is someone who’s got your back. Not everybody in sports is going to be your friend. Tom Brady’s my friend why? Because I’m a good football player. He needs me to play. People have different meanings of what friendship is.”

Brown fired Brady’s trainer, Alex Guerrero, on Christmas Eve, and asked for half of the $100,000 he paid Guerrero back. Brown said after he posted the exchange with Guerrero on social media Thursday that he was still tight with teammates, including Brady.

Brady, who knew Brown from his New England days, had advocated for the Bucs to sign him in 2020. Tampa Bay did, after he served an eight-game suspension under the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

Brown was released by the Bucs on Thursday, four days after refusing to enter the game in the second half against the New York Jets. Brown said the Bucs pressured him to play hurt; he has been rehabbing an ankle injury suffered in mid-October.

Brown expressed his dissatisfaction that a large portion of his contract was based on performance bonuses. The Bucs have said Brown’s agent asked last week for $2 million in incentives to be guaranteed.

As for his future, Brown said on the podcast that he plans to continue playing.

“I’m a football player. I have to get my ankle cleaned up so I can play at a high level,” he said. “There are so many opportunities to do great things, and that’s always going to be my goal. Life is just beginning for me. Every year is a fresh start. My goals are still in front of me.”