The Raiders have no idea what they’re doing with Antonio Brown
Just a day after word leaked that the Oakland Raiders would likely suspend Antonio Brown for a confrontation with GM Mike Mayock, reports indicate the team may be reversing course.
Hard Knocks may be over, but the soap opera surrounding the Oakland Raiders and Antonio Brown continues to get even wilder. Less than 24 hours after news broke that Brown was facing a suspension for getting into an altercation with General Manager Mike Mayock, it appears that the Raiders are considering reversing course.
Here is a sense of how quickly things are changing in Oakland: Yesterday, #Raiders coach Jon Gruden told people AB was not in their plans for Monday. Now, I hear… there is a real chance he not only does not get suspended but actually plays. Wild times
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 6, 2019
This is a stunning turn of events, especially in light of the details that emerged about Brown’s confrontation with Mayock this morning. According to Pro Football Talk, Brown called Mayock a “cracker” as part of an expletive filled altercation earlier in the week, which led to speculation that the Raiders would suspend him as a way to void the nearly $30 million in guaranteed money he received as part of his new contract.
Brown has since apologized to the team, reportedly delivering an emotional address in the locker room and receiving the support of the team’s captains according to ESPN’s Josina Anderson.
Source: #Raiders WR Antonio Brown just issued “an emotional apology” at a team meeting this morning, just now, “with team captains standing with him.”
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) September 6, 2019
So, in the span of just over 24 hours, we went from Antonio Brown almost definitely being suspended and possibly cut from the Raiders to potentially suiting up for the team’s opener on Monday night against the Denver Broncos. There is no question this situation is incredibly dramatic and becoming a huge distraction for the Raiders, who aren’t helping themselves by playing into Brown’s antics.
The fact that Brown issued an apology for his poor behavior is good, but letting him play after cursing out one of his bosses sends a terrible message to the rest of the locker room. If an undrafted rookie cursed out Mayock over a fine, that player would have been cut on the spot, so the fact the Raiders are bending over backwards for Brown suggests he has his own set of rules.
That won’t go over well if the team starts to struggle, and it looks like Oakland management is putting a bigger priority on winning this game against the Broncos over sending a message that Browns’ behavior is unacceptable.
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