Antonio Brown has dominated the storylines surrounding the Oakland Raiders with some of the bizarre events that have transpired with him during training camp.
Brown has been unable to practice due to a botched cryotherapy session that left his feet frostbitten and blistered. It was then followed up by his reported threats of retirement after the NFL refused to allow him to wear his old helmet.
The prospect of Brown retiring before his career with the Raiders ever started clearly raised plenty of red flags. Fortunately, he has since managed to set the record straight.
According to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Brown has dispelled any notion of potentially retiring due to the helmet issue:
“I don’t know where they got that, who made that up, either. Why would I retire, man? I’ve got a beautiful career. I’m healthy. I love to play the game… I’m grateful to play the game. Absolutely, I feel misunderstood. I’m not here to try to win people over or make people feel a certain way about me. I’m an athlete. I’m a human being. I’ve got tough skin. Just treat me like a human. Treat me w/ respect. But through it all, I’ve got a strong heart:
Brown added that all the reports about retirement have gotten blown out of proportion.
“I hate when my mom called me, and my dad called. ‘Retirement? Where’d you get that from?’ I’m like, ‘I never said that.’ That’s the hardest part. For me, as an athlete, you’ve got to have tough skin and not be able to pay attention to what people say. Everyone doesn’t really hate me. Maybe only a small percentage of people. I like to focus on the big picture. But if you guys could calm it down, man, it’s really distracting my family. You guys gotta help me with all that stuff you guys put out there. I don’t mind, but to my family, you know, they get really stressed out.”
It is encouraging to see Brown so adamant about shutting down all the rumors about his supposed plans of retirement should the NFL not allow him to wear his old helmet. He has since ramped up his efforts to find one to his liking and has even taken to social media in order to recruit help in finding it.
As for his return, fans were treated to their first view of Brown in full Raiders’ regalia after he logged in some pregame work ahead of Oakland’s victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2 of the preseason. His progress indicates that he could be well on his way to getting back on the field potentially as soon as next week.
