Just when the Oakland Raiders thought that the drama surrounding wide receiver Antonio Brown was behind them, things somehow managed to take a turn for the worst ahead of the 2019 NFL season.
Brown recently took to social media to voice his displeasure with getting fined for missing practice during training camp and the preseason. His actions clearly did not sit well with general manager Mike Mayock and a confrontation ultimately ensued between the two during Wednesday’s practice as Brown expressed his displeasure.
As a result, the Raiders threatened to suspend Brown, which could have cost him as much as $30 million in guaranteed money. After being away from the practice field on Thursday, Brown returned on Friday with a change of heart, issuing apologies to all parties involved.
It appears that was enough to win back over his team and avoid a suspension as Raiders head coach Jon Gruden is now saying that Brown is expected to play in their Week 1 matchup against the Denver Broncos on Monday night, per MJ Acosta of NFL Network:
Statement from #Raiders HC Jon Gruden: “Antonio is back today. We’re excited about that. Ready to move on.” Gruden says the plan is to have Antonio Brown play on Monday @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/UCq1n1JPUZ
— MJ Acosta (@MJAcostaTV) September 6, 2019
It is safe to say that this has been far from an ideal start to Brown’s tenure in Oakland. He missed the bulk of offseason practices due to a botched cryotherapy session that left him with frostbitten feet and the multiple helmet grievances against the NFL. Now the details regarding his recent argument with Mayock hardly inspire any notion of the two being able to potentially work things out.
Although threats to punch Mayock in the face were made by Brown, teammates managed to break things up before it got physical. Brown was clearly unhappy with being fined nearly $54,000 for conduct detrimental to the club, which is certainly understandable considering the suspension would have not only cost him a few game checks but perhaps some guarantees in his contract as well.
The hope is that all of this drama is behind Brown and the Raiders though and the focus could be shifted towards the field, where Brown can help the Raiders improve on their 4-12 record from a season ago.
Winning cures all, and that is eventually what the conclusion was within the Raiders organization. As Al Davis used to say, “Just win baby!”
