Antonio Brown isn’t with the Oakland Raiders, as far as we know, and unless some new information comes to light, he’s threatening retirement over not being able to wear his favorite helmet. All this while he’s dealing with frostbitten feet. Head coach Jon Gruden, not normally known for his soft hand, has decided to publicly deal with his star receiver a little differently than he may have in the past.
“We’re going to support him,” Gruden told reporters Saturday night. “And whatever his decision is, we’ll stand by it. But we’re confident he’s going to be a huge factor for the Raiders for years to come.”
Jon Gruden throws support behind Antonio Brown after #Raiders beat Rams in preseason openerhttps://t.co/nUHCjqNwRr
— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) August 11, 2019
Brown is volatile and obviously troubled. He could do with some solid counselling and hopefully the Raiders have that planned when he returns. Still, it’s a breath of fresh air to see Gruden handling this in a way that seems out of character for him. It could be that he wants to use kid gloves to get Brown back with the team because of his value on the field. I’d like to think it’s because he sees a guy in need of some help, regardless of his riches and accomplishments, and is reaching out.
In other Raiders news, the team claimed cornerback Hamp Cheevers off waivers and cut D.J. Killings.
TRANSACTIONS
- Wide receiver Shelton Gibson was waived by the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday on an injury designation. With the open roster spot, the team signed cornerback Sojourn Shelton.
- The Green Bay Packers added cornerback Derrick Jones off waivers from the New York Jets.
- Defensive end Jonathan Ward was cut with an injury designation by the Miami Dolphins. They signed linebacker Terrance Smith to fill his roster slot.
- Cornerback Isaiah Langley was picked up by the Indianapolis Colts after getting cut by the Raiders. Indy waived tight end Zach Conque to create roster space.
- Rico Gathers’ NFL experiment continues. The former Oregon basketball standout was picked up by the Cleveland Browns. They cut H-Back Orson Charles.
