Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown broke his silence after his first practice with his new team on Wednesday afternoon.
After serving an eight-game suspension for his off-field conduct, Brown is eligible to return in a Week 9 showdown against the New Orleans Saints. Brown talked about reuniting with quarterback Tom Brady after they played together in only one game for the New England Patriots last season.
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Brown said that Brady is “one of my close friends.”
“Tom is my boy. One of the greatest leaders to be around,” Brown told reporters during a virtual conference call on Wednesday. “He’s encouraging. Always inspiring. He brings out the best in the people around him. He wants the best for everyone around him. He’s the greatest quarterback of all-time. He’s always getting better day in and day out.
“I just learn a lot from him. How he trains, how he takes care of himself professionally. His discipline, his work ethic, his approach. He’s been a great guy in my corner.”
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Brown, who was signed by the Bucs on Oct. 27, was activated off the reserve/suspended list on Tuesday. He was able to attend team meetings and work with the coaching staff last week.
"We'll see how much we can get him taught," head coach Bruce Arians said, via ESPN. "And the first practice will be a walk-through because we've got a short week coming off Monday night, so we basically miss a practice this week on Wednesday because of the short week, so it'll be a walk-through practice and basically all learning."
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Tampa Bay certainly isn’t lacking weapons on the offensive line but Brown’s presence is a welcomed one.
“He's an unbelievable receiver, one of the best of all-time,” Mike Evans said of Brown following the Bucs win over the New York Giants on Monday. “He's going to help us a lot.”
But how much playing time will Brown see against the Saints? Arians says it all depends.
"He'll have his role. It could be 10 plays; it could be 35 plays. I wouldn't anticipate 60 plays, for sure, but we'll just see how it goes."
Fox News' Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
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