Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown will not be punished by the NFL despite stripping mid-game against the New York Jets in Week 17 and walking out the field.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network confirmed the development on Saturday, though he noted that the veteran wideout has been cut by the Buccaneers for his rather controversial actions.

Given what transpired and how detrimental it is to the NFL and the Buccaneers, one would expect there would be some sort of punishment for Antonio Brown. After all, he is a professional athlete and could have handled things better than he did.

It is hard to determine the NFL's thinking in making the decision, but it seems all parties involved can do nothing but move on.

The Buccaneers will be hoping to fill the void left by Brown heading into the playoffs, while AB will look to make a return to the NFL next season — that is if a team is willing to take a gamble on a star wideout with Super Bowl experience but is a controversy magnet.

Needless to say, Brown's future in the NFL will be a hot topic moving forward, especially in the offseason when teams look to retool. Some believe we have already seen the last of AB in the NFL, but in a league where winning matters more, you can never rule out anything. He did get a football offer, albeit in the USFL, anyway.