The Facts: The Buccaneers have terminated the contract of Brown, effective immediately, the team announced Thursday.

Diehards Line: In a statement issued Wednesday, Brown said he was forced to play on an injured ankle that will require surgery, which is why he exited Sunday's game so abruptly in the third quarter. The wide receiver said an MRI on Monday revealed broken bone fragments, a ligament torn from the bone and cartilage loss. The Bucs disagree. "We have attempted, multiple times throughout this week, to schedule an evaluation by an outside orthopedic specialist, yet Antonio has not complied," the team announced in a statement. "Maintaining the health and wellness of our players is of the utmost importance to our organization." A Bucs team official, however, told ESPN's Adam Schefter that Brown was agitated at halftime of Sunday's game against the New York Jets about not getting the targets he was expecting and he had to be calmed down. Bucs GM Jason Licht also told ESPN that Brown and his agent requested last week that the remaining $2 million in contract incentives for this season be guaranteed, and the team declined that request.