TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced the official release Thursday of wide receiver Antonio Brown, who exited last weekend's game against the New York Jets in one of the season's more bizarre moments.

Brown took off his shoulder pad and jersey during the game, which the Bucs rallied to win. After the game, coach Bruce Arians said Brown was "no longer a Buc."

The days since have seen discussion about Brown's claim of an injury, and Thursday's announcement by the Bucs included a statement about Brown's claims.

Here is the statement, as posted to Twitter.

On Monday, Arians said that Brown did not claim he was injured when he refused to re-enter Sunday's game against the Jets. Arians then told Brown to leave and the wide receiver did so by storming off the field, tossing some of his gear into the stands and waving to fans at MetLife Stadium.

Brown told a different story.

“Because of my commitment to the game, I relented to pressure directly from my coach to play injured,” he said. "Despite the pain, I suited up, the staff injected me with what I now know was a powerful and sometimes dangerous painkiller that the NFLPA has warned against using, and I gave it my all for the team. I played until it was clear that I could not use my ankle to safely perform my playing responsibilities."

Thursday's move opens a roster spot for the Bucs, who play their final regular season game this weekend against the Carolina Panthers.

Game time is 4:25 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium.