East Rutherford, New Jersey – It was one of the most bizarre scenes the NFL has ever seen. Now, speculation has run rampant that the whole shebang might have been in protest – or a hoax.

During the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' matchup against the New York Jets on Sunday ,wide receiver Antonio Brown (33) walked off the field mid-play, threw his pads to the ground, and – waving to the crowd – exited the stadium shirtless.

"Never seen anything like it in all my years," a football commentator proclaimed.

The exact reasoning for the prompt departure is still unclear.

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Reports have claimed that the 33-year-old refused to play when coach Bruce Arians wanted to put him in and an argument ensued on the sidelines. Other team members apparently tried to calm the athlete down.

NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported on Monday that the pass receiver was said to have been suffering from an ankle injury and unable to practice with the team for days before the game. He felt that he wasn't healthy enough to play, yet the coaches didn't see it that way.

"The response then from the offensive coaches, and from Bruce Arians, was 'If you are not going to go into the game when we tell you to go into the game, then you cannot be here.' At that point, they threw him off the sidelines and then cut him from the team."

The Bucs have since said that they were not told he was injured.

After his defiant departure from MetLife Stadium, Brown took to social media shortly after leaving.

"Football is what we do, not who we are!" he wrote in a post. "Thanks for the opportunity," he added in another.

While he has not commented directly on the incident, he has shared photos of his clothing brand and released a song. He was also seen in a video mentioning an upcoming Netflix series about himself.

So could the scandal be a calculated marketing move by the NFL star?

Adding to the rumors, Brown had a million dollar bonus right within his reach when he walked off the field –needing just eight more catches, 55 more receiving yards, and a touchdown to unlock the big bucks.

Commentators have speculated that perhaps team officials could have wanted to avoid him reaching the milestone.

The incident has also brought up widespread discussions about the athlete's mental health, and a range of his past controversies inside and out of the NFL.

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The professional fallout from the incident is not yet clear, with Brown likely to face some penalty from the NFL. But if he is not suspended, he could be scooped up by another team in time for this year's Super Bowl.

Yet despite coach Arians saying the wide receiver was no longer a Buc on Sunday, the team still reportedly had Brown on their official roster on Monday – and said his fate with the Bucs would ultimately be left up to general management.

For now, only the team's coaches and Brown probably know exactly what went down on the field. What's next for the record-breaking Pro Bowler is no doubt uncertain.

Brown was still in New York on Monday night and attended the Brooklyn Nets game, where he captioned an IG story post from his courtside seat: "It's a new day."