Written by When it comes to team sports, it’s common knowledge that athletes have to fight for the team and support their teammates at all times, even if situations may be dire (losing by double digits, losing seasons, being in a personal slump, etc.). However, what do you do when there are blowups during games, some even among teammates themselves? How do you resolve things and try to patch up any differences so the entire team can stay focused on their current mission(s)? Today, we’ll look at two such examples of recent blowups across two sports and try to figure out what the respective teams can/should do to resolve the matters.
Antonio Brown- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Situation: Wide receiver Antonio Brown decided to leave the stadium halfway through his team’s game against the New York Jets on Sunday, January 2nd, 2022. He was reportedly tried to be calmed by fellow teammates tight end (TE) O.J. Howard and WR Mike Evans to no avail. He took his uniform and gear off at halftime and ran to the locker room to prepare for leaving the stadium entirely.
The Solution: There is really only one way for the Buccaneers to respond: releasing the player off the team. You can’t have that public of a reaction and then expect to be on the same roster for the whole/remainder of the season. Former cornerback Vontae Davis may have also retired at halftime about four years ago, but he at least did it in a much more polite manner, no matter how shocking it was that he actually went through with it. Now, if they can somehow work things out among one another (keyword: somehow), there is a slim chance that Brown sticks with Tampa Bay.
As for Brown, he can (most likely) look for a new job elsewhere in the league, that is if someone is desperate enough to touch him. There were reports that the Buccaneers could end up facing him again in the playoffs because there is a chance he could land with a playoff team. This is probably why it is taking more days to officially release Brown, even though head coach Bruce Arians claimed that Brown was “no longer a Buc” in a press conference after the Sunday afternoon game.
Any Other Thoughts: There were rumors coming out that he might have benched so that he would be unable to reach certain contract incentives which, if true, could lead to grievances from Brown’s end to recoup the ~$1 million he would’ve made additionally. This seems unlikely because then he wouldn’t have even been activated at all whatsoever after being suspended for three games for having a fake COVID-19 vaccination card. The Buccaneers have been dealing with key injuries at the wide receiver position, so they obviously would’ve wanted to make full use of the remaining players in that position group, regardless of how they felt about Brown’s antics.
Other details coming out are that: a) he was possibly injured, even being too injured to continue playing but was being forced to be sent out on the field regardless, b) he was indeed injured before but was cleared by the team’s doctors, so him not wanting to play essentially meant that he had quit on the team, and c) Arians had basically told him to leave because Brown was getting “agitated” due to a lack of targets and refused to play.
Regardless of who is right or wrong in this situation, it’s clear that Brown has clearly been dealing with some issues lately and will need help for it, but his past actions and transgressions cannot simply be discounted just because he might be the victim in this particular situation. He has had a history of making the news for the wrong reasons ever since February of 2019, and it is my belief that he’s lucky to have even gotten his last two chances of playing in the NFL. Had these chances not been given to him, I believe that he would (rightfully so) be out of the NFL and no one would dare touch him until all the legal proceedings had been conducted properly and dealt with.
This is just another example of talent above everything else, which I do not like at all. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t think people deserve second chances, but how many times can you have issues be overlooked which shouldn’t have been overlooked? What about all the people affected by his actions? Anyways, even taking my bias aside, it’s only because of quarterback (QB) Tom Brady vouching for Brown personally that he even got to play a game with the New England Patriots and 15 games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He should’ve been grateful for even having this opportunity again, especially more so because he was on a “one strike” situation, but even that changed regardless of his fake COVID-19 vaccination card!
*UPDATE*: The Buccaneers officially waived Brown six days ago, so the team has taken their stance on the matter. It was a possible, and logical, solution because it would be really hard for typical team dynamics to keep such a player on their squad after a public reaction like the one he had. Brown is now using this time to point out how he might’ve wronged in particular ways at the organization, so it’s a potentially messy situation that is not over just because he is off the roster.
Kevin Porter Jr. & Christian Wood- Houston Rockets
The Situation: Guard (G) Kevin Porter Jr. and power forward/center (PF/C) Christian Wood had an altercation with their own coaches in the locker room in their game against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, January 1st, 2022. They were both being called out for a lack of effort, along with a few more players, which resulted in Porter Jr. needing to be separated from a specific coach (assistant coach John Lucas). He was told that he would not play in the second half, so he decided to leave the stadium entirely instead of being on the bench. As for Wood, he was already on the bench (despite being a starter) due to missing a mandatory COVID-19 test earlier that day. He reportedly told coaches he was no longer interested in playing in the second half.
The Solution: Obviously, whenever players do get into situations like this, a suspension is something they can look forward to, but I don’t know for how long the suspension will be for these two. Going against your coaches never ends well usually, so there is a chance that they may get benched for a few games or, even worse, straight up released. I think Porter Jr. is more likely to face harsher repercussions, given that this isn’t his first time having some sort of issue or display of immaturity. Wood, on the other hand, has never been suspended before or faced any disciplinary issues (to my knowledge) until this season, so he could be let off lightly. He would need to tread lightly from now on, however, if he wants to keep this reputation up.
Any Other Thoughts: Kevin Porter Jr. will need to work on being a better human being, regardless of how well he does as a player. It seems like disciplinary issues have continued to follow him his whole basketball career: a) he was suspended indefinitely due to “personal conduct issues” in his freshman season at the University of Southern California (USC); b) he had a previous one-game suspension for improperly making contact with a referee in his debut season with the Cleveland Cavaliers; c) he was accused of punching a woman, among other things; d) he started the 2020-21 season inactive due to a later-dropped offseason weapons charge; e) he had an outburst due to a locker change, which caused the Cavaliers to get rid of him either through release or trade (they ultimately traded him to Houston; and f) he was fined $50,000 for violating the NBA’s Health and Safety Protocols.
He should be grateful to have kept getting opportunities even throughout these transgressions, and it could be a huge waste of potential if he keeps going down this self-destructive path. He was allowed to finish the season at USC (despite the suspension), picked in the first round (30th overall) in the 2019 draft class, and now has had this opportunity for a good amount of playing time after getting his fourth-year option exercised by Houston. He’s been shown faith throughout his career, even when things may have seemed over at times, so he should repay the faith.
On the other hand, Wood has been a young undrafted player who has steadily been on the rise since the 2019-20 season, where he played 62 games for the Detroit Pistons. He was then signed-and-traded to Houston on November 24th, 2020, and he got his first major payday with a three-year, $41 million contract. I’m not sure why he’d want to jeopardize a reputation of being a solid team player with a chance of taking an even bigger role now that he has had the opportunity to establish himself further. Although only 26 years old, he seems “too old” for this rebuilding Rockets youth movement, so it is possible that he could already be a trade chip, as he is a valuable player on a losing team. This type of issue would not help his chances of staying in Houston and could be a bad look for a team looking to acquire him as well.
*UPDATE*: It seems that I may have been too worried about this particular blowup, as both Wood and Porter Jr. are now not only back with the team but are also in the starting five on the court after they were each given a one-game suspension. It seems like they may have avoided being in big trouble for now, but who knows what holds in their respective futures? At least the end result is a positive one, as the Rockets are ok enough with the two to make them be able to take the court again, and it seems like Wood and Porter Jr. may have amicably worked things out with the coaches. Porter Jr. even seems to have put this suspension in his past after hitting a game-winning, buzzer-beater shot on January 6th against the Washington Wizards, with Wood also having a team-high 22 points that game.
In addition to these two main situations, we’ve even had to deal with teammates fighting each other (Los Angeles Rams’ Jalen Ramsey and Taylor Rapp, Washington Football Team’s Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne) over the last three weeks of the NFL season. Overall, it’s just been a testy time for all of these players involved and they chose to go the route of theatrics or getting physical to get their points across. At the very least, the fights among teammates can be labeled as “brothers fighting among themselves“, like ones that happen/could happen in a typical family, and organizations can work to get them to be more understanding of one another without forcing any one player to have to like the other. Teammates don’t have to like each other, as long as they respect one another and can have the other’s backs when necessary/needed. Things may seem ok now, but the teammates need to be wary of the potential tension and be prepared to take action so that nothing escalates too far out of control.
However, it seems like the Brown, Porter Jr., and Wood situations may not have a happy ending for the players involved, with their careers potentially being in short-term (Wood) or long-term jeopardy (Brown, Porter Jr.). As for the teams involved, all they can do is put their respective blowups in the rearview mirror and continue along in the remainder of their seasons to play those who do want to still be there. Just like in the above paragraph, everyone in the organization will just need to be a calming presence to one another and be as supporting and understanding they can be to prevent/de-escalate any future scenarios. That’s how we find out about the good leaders in every organization and which team’s culture can ensure and maintain positivity to provide an example to others as a role model to follow.