Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown is speaking out after walking off the field mid-game Sunday against the New York Jets.

Brown issued a lengthy statement Wednesday night explaining his side of the story on what happened that led to the end of his time as a Buccaneer.

Brown, who had been dealing with an ankle injury that had caused him to miss multiple games this season coming into the week, said that the Buccaneers' coaching staff told him to re-enter the game while he was seated on the sideline. When he said he was unable to due to the injury, Brown said he was told by the Buccaneers' coaching staff that he was cut from the team.

"Because of my commitment to the game, I relented to pressure directly from my coach to play injured. Despite the pain, I suited up, the staff injected me with what I now know was a powerful and sometimes dangerous painkiller that the NFLPA has warned against using, and I gave it my all for the team. I played until it was clear that I could not use my ankle to safely perform my playing responsibilities. On top of that, the pain was extreme. I took a seat on the sideline and my coach came up to me, very upset, and shouted, 'What wrong with you? What's wrong with you?' I told him, 'It's my ankle." But he knew that. It was well documented and we had discussed it. He then ordered me to get on the field. I said, 'Coach, I can't.' He didn't call for medical attention. Instead, he should at me, 'YOU'RE DONE!' while he ran his finger across his throat. Coach was telling me that if I didn't play hurt, then I was done with the Bucs," Brown said as part of the statement. 

Brown's statement said he will require surgery to repair his injured ankle.

“It shows broken bone fragments stuck in my ankle, the ligament torn from the bone, and cartilage loss, which are beyond painful. You can see the bone bulging from the outside," said the statement. 

The three-time All-Pro removed his jersey and pads on the sideline and threw his undershirt and gloves into the stands as he walked off. Brown addressed the move in his statement. 

"I was cut and then I went home. They threw me out like an animal and I refused to wear their brand on my body, so I took my jersey off," the statement read. 

“It’s pretty obvious what happened. He left the field and that was it,” Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said of the incident, twice saying Brown did not tell him he was hurt and unable to play because of the injury. 

“I wish him well. I hope if he needs help, get some,” Arians said. 

"I love the Bucs fans. I really do. I love my teammates and everyone who showed me grace and believed in me. I gave the Bucs everything I had on the field. What the organization is doing now needs to get cleaned up. I do not understand how people publicly claiming to be concerned about my mental health can do these things to me in private," Brown's statement said.

Tampa Bay went on to win the game 28-24. Brown finished with three catches for 26 yards before exiting. 

Click here to read the entire statement.