Leonard Fournette Wants 'Misunderstood' Antonio Brown to Return to Buccaneers

Running back Leonard Fournette, who just re-signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a one-year deal, said that he hopes free-agent wideout Antonio Brown returns to the team in 2021.

"I hope he comes back," Fournette said, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.

"Guys like that, you need around. He's just I think misunderstood, a lot. I didn't know too much about AB before we played with each other, but he's a great guy to be around and I hope he comes back."

Fournette also spoke about his bond with Brown in further detail, per Nick Shook of NFL.com.

"I just tried to make a joke out of it," Fournette explained. "I told him 'this s--t feel like Last Chance U.' We can't mess up. We're on our second go-around, things like that, and he used to be like, 'You know what, you've got to look at it like that. God doesn't give too many chances; we have to take the best chance out of this' and he was like, 'You're right, Leonard.' I think those conversations carried me a long way throughout the season."

Fournette signed a one-year deal with the Bucs as a free agent after the Jacksonville Jaguars, who selected the ex-LSU star fourth overall in the 2017 draft, released him last August. He had 448 total yards and four touchdowns during the team's Super Bowl playoff run.

Brown was released by the New England Patriots in September 2019 amid allegations of sexual assault and inappropriate sexual behavior.

Last July, the NFL suspended Brown eight games for violations of its personal-conduct policy amid those allegations and other alleged off-field incidents. The Bucs signed Brown in October, and he played the last eight games of the regular season and three in the playoffs. He caught 53 passes for 564 yards and six touchdowns.