Video from CBS showed that Brown appeared to be upset on the sideline and inexplicably started to remove his jersey and pads while teammates pleaded with him to stay. A shirtless Brown could be seen throwing his undershirt into the stands as he made his way into the stadium’s tunnel while waving a peace sign.

“We all love him and care about him deeply,” Brady said, adding their relationship goes beyond being teammates. “I think everyone should be compassionate and empathetic toward some very difficult things that are happening.”

Brady said he was unaware of the details of the incident until after the game.

In a news release, the NFL said there was evidence Brown and two other players had “misrepresented their vaccination status.” The other two players were Buccaneers safety Mike Edwards and free agent wide receiver John Franklin III, who has been on the Bucs’ practice squad.

The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Brown in 2010, and he played for them the first nine seasons of his career. Brown was traded to the then-Oakland Raiders ahead of the 2019 season but was released before playing in a regular season game.