It might be the most famous glove since Michael Jackson grooved on stage during the 1980s.
The right-handed glove worn by former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown, which he tossed into the MetLife Stadium stands when he decided to beat it during the middle of a Jan. 2 game against the New York Jets, is on the block for Lelands 2022 Winter Pop Up sale.
The online sale hosted by the New Jersey-based auction house, which began Jan. 30, runs through Saturday — the day before Super Bowl LVI.
The starting bid was $81, in honor of the jersey Brown wore while he played for Tampa Bay.
“The glove is a tangible memento from an iconic NFL moment,” Lelands wrote in its description of the item.
Iconic is an interesting way to describe the moment.
Tampa Bay was trailing the New York Jets 24-10 with 2:51 remaining in the third quarter when Brown made his bizarre exit. Brown, who had made three catches for 26 yards to that point, had been briefly benched by Bucs coach Bruce Arians. When the coach wanted Brown to return to the game, the receiver claimed he was not healthy enough to play. The coaching staff disagreed, and Arians would later claim that Brown never told him that he was too injured to play.
Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans and tight end O.J. Howard attempted to calm Brown down on the sideline. However, Brown took off his equipment and threw his undershirt and gloves into the stands, then he jogged across the end zone and waved to fans as he disappeared under the stands, ESPN reported.
Arians announced after the game that Brown was “no longer a Buc,” and the receiver was officially released several days later.
By leaving the team, Brown left about $1 million in possible incentives on the table. He needed eight more catches, 55 more receiving yards and one more receiving touchdown to qualify for a bonus. It is logical to expect that Brown would have had a good chance to hit all three benchmarks by the end of the Jets game or during Week 18 at home against the Carolina Panthers.
The right-handed glove that Lelands is offering for sale was consigned not long after the game. It has a Nike swoosh on the back. Inside, it has an NFL logo and an “Apollo Nia” tag. The outside of the glove has a Raiders logo; after nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Brown was traded to Oakland. He never played a regular-season game with the silver-and-black, as the Raiders voided the guarantees in his contract. The team fined him more than $215,000 for conduct detrimental to the team after an altercation with Raiders general manager Mike Mayock. He was released in September 2019.
Brown then hooked up with the New England Patriots for one game the 2019 season before landing in Tampa Bay in 2020, where he played in eight games and made four starts. He caught four touchdown passes during the 2020 season and added two more in the playoffs, including a scoring reception in Super Bowl LV.
Imprinted on the outside back of the wristband is the word “Superbad,” according to Lelands.
Bidding on the glove has been brisk, and with five days remaining before the auction closes, it has already topped $3,300.
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