Are the Raiders going to suspend Antonio Brown after video?

Antonio Brown continued to taunt the Oakland Raiders by releasing a video containing a taped conversation with coach Jon Gruden, but will the team finally suspend its star receiver?

The HBO producers must be furious that the Hard Knocks season ended days before the latest great Antonio Brown drama. Just hours after Raiders’ coach Jon Gruden announced that Brown would not be suspended for an altercation with General Manager Mike Mayock, Brown dropped a bizarre two-minute video on YouTube containing a taped phone conversation with Gruden.

This conversation, which may or may not be legal since California is a two-party consent state for recordings, saw Gruden pleading with Brown to stop the antics and simply play football. Brown goes on to tell Gruden that he is far more than just a football player, completing a strange exchange that makes most rational observers question Brown’s sanity.

The question now becomes if this is the straw that breaks the camel’s back in terms of a potential suspension for Brown. The Raiders were reportedly going to suspend Brown after his confrontation with Mayock, which was reportedly profanity-filled, but it appears that Gruden flexed his muscle and protected Brown so the team could have him available for their opener with the Denver Broncos on Monday night.

There comes a point, however, where enough is enough and the Raiders have to make a point that Brown can’t simply do whatever he wants regardless of the team’s rules. Gruden has been Brown’s biggest defender to this point, and he would probably remain the biggest obstacle towards an actual suspension, but the fact his private conversations with Brown are now being leaked by Brown himself could be a deal-breaker.

This action alone should merit a suspension for Brown, but if the Raiders don’t act now it’s fair to wonder what Brown has to do to get disciplined by the team. Either way, the Raiders continue to have their season derailed by the Brown sideshow even though they haven’t played a meaningful game yet.