#usgymnatics

It was the 3rd quarter, in a blistering cold stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. There was a commotion on the sideline during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. NY Jets game. Antonio Brown, one of Tampa's top offensive weapons, was flipping out. He took off his helmet, his shoulder pads and the rest of his gear. Even as teammates tried to walk over and calm him down, there was no getting through to him. Something definitely wasn't right. No one could see what the conflict was about, but the obvious reason, judging from face value, would suggest that maybe Antonio Brown wasn't being targeted enough by his quarterback, Tom Brady, so he could make a play. There seemed a little more to it, if anyone paid attention to the subtle details.

As he walked off, headed to the locker room, he waved goodbye to the fans in the stands and threw up a peace sign, as if he knew this would be his last "hoorah" in the NFL. By the time the Sunday Night Football game was underway, the head coach of the Tampa Bay Bucs, Bruce Arias, announced that Antonio Brown was no longer part of the team.

Monday morning, all the sports analysts and commentators went wild, bashing Antonio Brown's behavior, calling it bizarre, selfish but not surprising, being that he has had issues in the past with the teams he's been on. Some even went as far as cracking jokes, either trying to make light of the situation or make fun of Antonio Brown himself. Of course, social media didn't let us down, as the memes came pouring in.

After the smoke cleared and the criticisms turned from blistering put-downs to intellectual reasoning, then the truth came out. In his first statement since leaving the field in the third quarter of the Bucs vs. Jets game, Antonio Brown said that he was forced to play on an injured ankle that will require surgery. This was the reason why he exited so abruptly. An MRI on Monday revealed broken bone fragments, a ligament torn from the bone and cartilage loss. Antonio Brown also accused the Buccaneers of mischaracterizing his outburst on the field as a "mental health issue" rather than a refusal to play due to pain.

The last part, I respectfully disagree with. An injury, plus the added stress definitely played a roll in all of this. Maybe its just me, but when I see Antonio Brown in some air of controversy, all I can think of is that infamous hit he took in the 2016 playoffs at the hands of Vontaze Burfict, one of the most brutal football players of my generation. It is generally known throughout football that wide receivers are the divas of every football team, due to their fast speed and cocky, brash behavior, but even I know, Antonio Brown hasn't been right since taking that violent hit and I don't blame his diva-like behavior at all. Not to make excuses for him or any other athlete that acts like an entitled jerk, but its clear as day that something wasn't right with him.

Later on, after doing some more digging, it turns out this sideline situation wasn't just about injuries or mental health. It did play a huge factor, but there was a little more to it. There were also some financial factors as well. Being that the NFL season was reaching the end and the Bucs were making a playoff push, that signaled bonus/contract time for most players that were either going to become free agents or needed a dynamite performance to give coaches and office personnel a reason why they should be kept on the roster for next season.

It turns out, that if Antonio Brown made a certain number of catches or held a certain number of receiving yards, he'd get his bonus. Maybe it was the mounting pressure to receive that money, but to be fair, the Jets had a young defensive core that held every offensive weapon at arms length the entire game, until Tom Brady began orchestrating an impressive comeback and eventually won the game.

While I don't know Antonio Brown personally, other than the highlights and controversial headlines he's been in, I could see that the boiling point, which he reached, had more to do with a lack of respect for who he was, in his particular job role rather than a top offensive wide receiver just looking for the quick dollar. Seeing signs of being fed up with the way things are going, especially in a field where you've worked so hard and given much of your time, passion and energy to, just to not receive the same passion, time an energy back, does take it's toll. I've been there, whether it was working odd-jobs or my career in the IT industry or even the friendships and relationships I've had throughout my life. If what you give isn't given in return, you are left with no choice except to throw your hands up and say, "F**k this job!" and walk away.

We've all been there. Antonio Brown has been there, as well as another talented athlete in most recent memory.

Simone Biles. Arguably, the greatest gymnast in Olympic history. Even she had her day of emotional reckoning. Understandably so. The pressure to duplicate the awe-inspiring, death-defying performance that made her a household name in the previous summer Olympic games, as well as National Gymnastics Championship competitions here in the United States was building.

On July 28, 2021, the world was shocked when it was announce that Simone Biles had withdrawn from competition in the Olympics. The reason? Mounting stress and a lingering injury that had been plaguing her for some time. Simone Biles was even quoted saying, “It’s been a long week. It’s been a long Olympic process. It’s been a long year. Just a lot of different variables and I think we’re just a little bit too stressed out, but we should be out here having fun and sometimes that’s not the case.”

Of course, the keyboard warriors and internet bullies came out in droves on social media, criticizing and putting down the beloved gymnast, who just a few weeks ago, prior to the announcement, was America's Olympic sweetheart. Its almost as if performers, athletes or anyone in the spotlight of dazzling the masses, are placed on a pedestal, with an overly-scrutinized microscope, that nobody asked for. While most of us are of the understanding that this is the nature of the beast of fame, it causes many of us, athletes and spectators alike, to lose sight of the one thing that does make us unique. We forget that we are human, with faults that are no different or any better than the next individual.

With the break that was taken, Simone Biles found the strength in her and did compete in some of the competitions of the 2021 summer Olympics, earning a silver medal. This I commend her for, not just for her perseverance but for taking control of her career and coming to this decision on her terms and not the pressure of coaches, fans or the powers that be.

Your health, whether its physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, takes precedence over appeasing the spectators or those who sign your paycheck. Sometimes, it requires a great amount of recovery, strength, reflection, and prayer to overcome. Other times, it requires you to throw your hands up, and just say, "F**K this job!" and take back control of one's dignity, to remind all those involved that we are just human.