Opinion: Antonio Brown saga must leave Raiders with deep regret for teaming up with WR
That sound you hear is a blend of sniggering and a sigh of relief permeating from Pittsburgh Steelers team headquarters.
The other sounds you hear are growls of frustration, moans of regret and quite possibly buyer’s remorse from within the Oakland Raiders’ facility.
As if frost-bitten feet and helmet issues weren’t drama enough, Antonio Brown exacerbated matters by sharing with his social media followers a team-issued letter from general manager Mike Mayock notifying the wide receiver of nearly $54,000 worth of fines leveled against him for missing portions of the preseason.
A follow-up discussion between Mayock and Brown later on Wednesday didn’t go well. It turned into an argument that featured a blowup by Brown, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to Paste BN Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter. On Thursday morning, news broke that the team plans to suspend one of its biggest offseason acquisitions.
If it wasn’t already evident, the self-destruction of one of the game’s most talented offensive weapons appears to be in full effect. Meanwhile, a Raiders squad desperate to expedite its rebuilding efforts is paying the price.
The gamble taken by Mayock and coach Jon Gruden is taking a toll. It looks like the Raiders – who proudly declared an emphasis on character after making their draft picks in April – would have been better off rolling with a bunch of no-names, who at least would have cherished the opportunity and most certainly not have behaved in such a divisive manner throughout a crucial period of the calendar.
WEEK 1 PICKS: Will Steelers upset Patriots in opener?
HOT SEAT RANKINGS: Jay Gruden, Jason Garrett already on notice?
But as mind-bending as this is, the Raiders can’t be surprised – not after the way things ended for Brown in Pittsburgh, with him giving up on his teammates and standing on the sidelines in a fur coat while they remained in the thick of a playoff battle. Brown also refused to settle differences with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and coach Mike Tomlin in the offseason and instead demanded a trade.
Brown showed them who he was.
If he wasn't going to battle for the greater good and teammates, some of which he's known for the better part of his nearly decade-long career, as hope still dangled by a thread, who will he fight for? If the time and space provided by the offseason and face-to-face meetings with the owner of the team couldn’t shift Brown’s thinking, what would?
Multiple players who have dealt with Brown in the past told Paste BN Sports that the erratic behavior he displayed over the course of this preseason doesn’t at all surprised them. Some wondered why the Raiders took a flier on him in the first place given the way his Pittsburgh exit played out.
It’s unclear how, but Gruden and Mayock rationalized this move when many teams wanted no part of the receiver.
The Raiders hoped a change of scenery would do Brown some good. They thought that pride and a perceived quest to continue to establish himself as one of the game’s best would have fueled him in the silver and black, and that off-field issues would have been left behind in Pittsburgh.
They hoped he would have brought a veteran presence and dynamic play-making element to their offense. But that hasn’t been the case. Brown has been the same immature, divisive force in Oakland that he was in Pittsburgh. New colors haven’t changed his behavior.
It certainly appears that Brown is on Team AB, and Team AB alone.
But the biggest question is why? He’s definitely not devoting his efforts to further building his personal brand on the field while using the Raiders as his platform.
So where does his motivation lie?
It can't be money, because if the Raiders have leveled this suspension citing conduct detrimental to the team, such a punishment would prove costly — more than a singular game check (worth around $860,294). Such a punishment would trigger the removal of the guaranteed portions of Brown’s contract. His three-year, $50.1 million deal features more than $30 million in guaranteed money.
Brown has missed practices, meetings and walkthroughs while also causing other off-field distractions. Since talks with Gruden and Mayock hadn’t produced a tangible result, the Raiders did the only thing they knew to do: hit Brown in the pocket.
That might be their only hope as they attempt to salvage a very bad wager. The situation has reached combustible levels even before the first game of the season.
At this point, if those guarantees are indeed voided, the Raiders just might have to raise the question of whether they’re better off simply releasing Brown. He hasn’t given them any reason to justify further patience. Why should anyone expect him to transform into a pro and franchise pillar on and off the field?
Mayock and Gruden were meeting following today’s practice to determine the best course of action and their options for handling Brown going forward. It’s anyone’s guess how the next installment of this saga will play out, but you can bet good money that a dramatic twist looms. You also would be wise to monitor Brown’s social media accounts. Activity there is the only area of consistency that he has displayed thus far.
Follow Mike Jones on Twitter @ByMikeJones.
If you love talking football, we have the perfect spot for you. Join our Facebook Group, The Ruling Off the Field, to engage in friendly debate and conversation with fellow football fans and our NFL insiders.