You thought the drama was over between the Oakland Raiders and disgruntled wide receiver Antonio Brown? That’s just delightful.
Early this morning — roughly 6:00 a.m. on the west coast — Brown shared an Instagram post with an image of a quote reading, “You are gonna piss a lot of people off when you start doing what’s best for you.” But what was most interesting were the final words of the post: “Release me @raiders.”
So, yeah, Antonio Brown just asked to be released by the #Raiders. https://t.co/oX0mOuleyC
— Andersen Pickard (@AndersenPickard) September 7, 2019
The drama with Antonio Brown started more than eight months ago when he threw a football at the feet of Ben Roethlisberger. He skipped all remaining practices and meetings, as well as the team’s final game. It took a few months full of rumors and drama before Brown finally found a new home: Oakland. The Raiders signed Brown to a new extension, and the star receiver even earned some praise from many for the power he had shown by essentially choosing his landing spot and getting big money.
Little did we know, that was just the beginning.
As HBO’s Hard Knocks followed the Raiders, Brown was not present. He was dealing with some nasty foot issues.
Peeling back the curtain on @AB84's peeling feet.#HardsKnocks is streaming now on HBO. pic.twitter.com/pViQL7gBuY
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) August 14, 2019
Brown reportedly entered the a cryo-chamber without appropriate footwear.
On Hard Knocks, Brown went into more graphic detail about his cold therapy.
“I got out, and I felt my foot burning,” Brown explained. “The next, like, 24 hours it swelled up. It got really big. I couldn’t really walk or put pressure. The doctor came over, drained a little out. Scalpel the next day. Freakin’ scissors the next day. Just kind of let it leak all out. As everything leaked all out, I was able to put a little pressure.”
But wait, there’s more.
Brown later had a helmet issue with the league. The league’s regulations barred Brown from using the helmet he wanted to due to safety concerns. While he threatened to retire, he seemed to cooperate in a search for a new helmet, filing a couple of grievances and trying out a couple helmets before settling on one: a Xenith brand.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2AW4Bwh6Uo/
But like any good story, it just never ends. Brown reportedly got in a screaming match with Mike Mayock a few days ago, threatening to punch him and punting a ball before saying, “Fine me for that.” Brown also posted a video on YouTube of a phone call he had with head coach Jon Gruden, an action which is illegal in the state of California.
Mayock later would “fine [him] for that” (the confrontation).
Brown was hit with a $215,000 fine that also voided his $29.125 million in guaranteed money, leaving him entitled to precisely nothing if released by the Raiders. That brings us back to this morning, when Brown requested just that in his latest post.
In addition to fining Antonio Brown $215,073.53 for conduct detrimental to the team that voided $29.125 million worth of guaranteed money in his contract, the Raiders sent Brown a letter that he no longer will be entitled to termination pay if they release him, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 7, 2019
According to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, Brown confirmed the team took away his guarantees and he is done playing for them after the team made his contract week to week.
I just got an email from Antonio Brown. He tells me the team “took away my guarantees.” He added there’s “no way I play after they took that and made my contract week to week.” So at this moment, once again, don’t expect AB to play on Monday Night Football.
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) September 7, 2019
For now, that’s all we’ve got for ya. His all-time drama has been summed up and his latest hysterics have been explained. The actions will likely result in his release, and if that happens, you can read about it here.
For now, AB, I am heading out for a few hours, so don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone, okay?
(Who am I kidding, something stupid or crazy is gonna happen.)
