If you thought Antonio Brown’s apology and the Oakland Raiders’ decision not to suspend him for Monday Night’s game against the Denver Broncos was the end of the story, then you were wrong. Just you. Only one person reading this. I’m talking to you Jon Gruden. Thanks for reading.
After a quick Saturday morning storm, the Raiders granted his request, cutting A.B.
The Raiders have released WR Antonio Brown from the team today.
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 7, 2019
Frankly, Gruden might have been surprised, but for the rest of us, we weren’t shocked at all to wake up Saturday morning and see that Brown had demanded his release from the team via Instagram … and that the team had granted his wish and released him.
“You are gonna piss a lot of people off when you start doing what’s best for you,” Brown opened the post with an image. He goes on to write. “And that’s fine! I have worked my whole life to prove that the system is blind to see talent like mines. Now that everyone sees it, they want me to conform to that same system that has failed me all those years. “I’m not mad at anyone. I’m just asking for the freedom to prove them all wrong. Release me @raiders #NOMore #theyputblindersonahorseforareason #NoMoreFake.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2HGYq2B2uT/
So, let’s make sense of this. A.B. is the victim, here. Obviously. He goes to war with the NFL over his helmet, skips multiple practices, posts his fine letter for those skipped practices on social media, threatens to punch his general manager in the face, illegally records a phone call with his head coach and then publicly asked to be released.
And that’s not even mentioning his feet. There was this perception that Brown suffering frostbite on his feet was somehow an accident or not his fault. Does anybody believe that now? Do we believe that the professionals running the cryochamber wouldn’t tell him he needed to wear proper footwear before stepping inside of it? If they hadn’t, he could sue them for millions. He has not. Hmm.
"I'm here to elevate everything around me. I'm here to just be a surge of energy, of positivity, and good force. A great teammate and to bring out the best of everyone around me cause we all know it's not just about me."
– Antonio Brown at his introductory Raiders presser.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 7, 2019
So that was probably all him too.
Now he’s in the wind and the biggest “buyer beware” value in recent NFL history.