Written by: Shae Foote
In case you have been in Bedrock with the Flintstones, WR Antonio Brown has been all over sports headlines for numerous reasons this off season. Here's a rundown:
● In March, the Steelers traded him to the Oakland Raiders for a third and fifth-round pick.
● In July he showed up to training camp with frostbitten feet due to wearing improper
footwear during cryotherapy.
● Also in July, his helmet is banned for not meeting safety requirements. Brown also
causes a scene at practice and leaves early. He then takes two weeks off to treat his
feet.
● In August, Brown's grievance to approve his helmet is denied twice & he's fined $40k by
Oakland's GM Mike Mayock for his unexcused absences & missing a mandatory
pre-game workout.
● ..post a screenshot of his fines on Instagram (totaling $53,950) with the caption "When
your own team want to hate".
● ...gets into a heated argument with the teams GM; calls him a "cracker".
● In September, the Raiders debate on suspending and/or releasing Brown over conduct
and fines him again totaling $215,000.
● Brown releases conversation with head coach on social media with a caption requesting
to be released.
● Brown is released from Raiders organization and signs a 1-year contact with the New
England Patriots.
Ok, now that you're all caught up, let's get down to business. From a sports enthusiast standpoint, this is all a ploy to get traded from the beginning. Derek Carr and the silverbacks are not the ideal team to play with this season and AB wanted out. This definitely puts the team in a horrible predicament. The team's head coach Jon Gruden built the team around AB and with his absence, (two days before the season opener) puts a lot of strain on the new rookies drafted this year. It leaves most to wonder, was AB's agent already in talks with the Patriots and these shenanigans planned from the beginning. After the move to release Brown becomes official with the league at 4:01 p.m. ET, Brown comes to an agreement with New England, agent Drew Rosenhaus at 5:19 p.m. The one-year deal is worth up to $15 million, Rosenhaus said. It includes a $9 million signing bonus, $10 million guaranteed and $5 million in incentives.
Others argue that AB's actions were justified after being fined continuously and the GM telling him to "just stop this shit and play football", at what point do you consider your worth and get out? Brown has repeatedly voiced that he is more than a football player, and his livelihood is being taken advantage of. It's sad to acknowledge the fact that a lot of athletes are faced with the decision of standing up for themselves or "shut up and play". It's interesting to see how things play out but we're definitely ready to see AB on the field with the outstanding depth of the Patriots.