Apparently Oakland Raiders general manager Mike Mayock’s message was heard loud and clear. Monday, wide receiver Antonio Brown actually showed up to work. A.B. was back with the Raiders.
While the helmet matter should be settled, Brown’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, doesn’t feel like they’ve exhausted every option. I’m sure this has nothing to do with placating his client and keeping Brown off his phone and everything to do with finding the perfect lid to perch atop Brown’s shoulders.
Update: Antonio Brown was at the facility this morning and in attendance at the team meeting. The walk-through practice was canceled. But Brown is back for now. https://t.co/6gb5zFJKmO
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 19, 2019
“We’ve worked very closely with the Raiders, and we will continue to work very closely with the Raiders,” Rosenhaus told WSVN in Miami. “I’m not sure that we agree that we’ve exhausted all the options as Mike Mayock said, but there’s no doubt it’s still an ongoing process. We are trying to work with the team and the league and the union to try and come up with a solution, we haven’t figured it out yet. To say that AB is upset about the decision to not let him wear his helmet is accurate, but we are still processing it and figuring it out. I wouldn’t make too much about him not being there today, as much as we are still trying to come up with a solution that works for everyone.”
That solution? Making the NFL test two more Schutt AiR Advantage helmets, which they will almost surely reject.
The original helmet tested was made in 2011. No reason to believe the engineering would be different, but this explains why agent Drew Rosenhaus says he believes they’re not out of options. Another Hail Mary. https://t.co/H3LOheIHFb
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 19, 2019
So if you were hoping this would be the end of A.B.’s helmet shenanigans, think again. And, yeah, I’m talking to you Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden.
Even with the helmet issue solved, or at least off the front pages, Brown still has to heal up his frostbitten feet. That should have been the biggest problem for the wideout and the Raiders this preseason, as he makes his living running fast with those very same feet. But A.B. just wouldn’t let that be the case.
