Tampa Bay Buccaneers release Antonio Brown and deny claim that he was asked to play with injured ankle

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released wide receiver Antonio Brown on Thursday, days after he walked off the field shirtless in the middle of a game. The Buccaneers also denied Brown's Wednesday claim that the team was trying to force him to play on an injured ankle. 

While the Buccaneers acknowledged Brown had previously received treatment for his ankle, the team said he had been cleared to play by the medical team prior to the game. Brown had previously missed five games this season with an ankle injury.

"At no point during the game did he indicate to our medical personnel that he could not play," the team said, adding that Brown has not complied with multiple attempts to schedule an evaluation of his ankle this week.