Getty Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden speaking with a referee.
Oh man, what a week for the Oakland Raiders. After the first week of training camp, everything made it seem like the team was headed in the right direction. The only thing that was causing concern was the sidelining of star wide receiver Antonio Brown. Brown not participating wasn’t thought to be anything too serious and he hit the practice field after only missing a couple of sessions. Well, things went downhill after he posted a picture of what was happening to his feet.
The blistered, peeling, grotesque mess that Brown would’ve called his feet took the internet by storm. Upon examination of the photo, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms reported that Brown must’ve suffered from frostbite because of the misuse of a cryotherapy machine. Turns out, Simms was dead on. Shortly after, Brown disappeared from Napa to see a foot specialist and then there was no more word on the subject. That was until rumors came out that he was ghosting the Raiders.
That report seems to have been untrue, but a new controversy quickly followed once ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Brown was filing a grievance against the NFL because of their new helmet rules. A media storm followed and NFL Network’s Mike Silver aired out a ton of Brown’s dirty laundry. Most notably, he reported that Brown has already started to frustrate his new team. This, of course, brought on waves of media hate. Jason Whitlock of Fox Sports called Jon Gruden an idiot. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said that Brown was childish and many more pundits weighed in.
While it was hard to defend Brown and the Raiders amid the storm, things seem to have cleared up very quickly. The wide receiver is already back in Napa and he’s moved on from the helmet controversy. Hard Knocks didn’t make the Raiders look as bad as they could’ve and Gruden said he didn’t agree with a lot of the reports that came out. It may be impossible to know what exactly has been happening behind the scenes, but the controversy doesn’t seem like it’s having a lasting effect on the team. Brown is back to posting on social media and looks happy. He should be back at practice any day now. Time will tell if Brown is worth the drama, but as The Athletic’s Vinny Bonsignore points out, is what Brown did really that wrong?
The threat to retire obvioulsy wasn’t true if he actually did make it and he doesn’t seem to be trying to make it a lingering issue. While this whole story isn’t fake news, it certainly feels like manufactured outrage for the sake of views. Brown did what he had to do in an effort to get what he wanted and has been handling his loss with dignity.
Antonio Brown Acknowledged He Was in the Wrong
One thing that has been a huge negative as a result of Brown absence is that he’s been missing out on valueable practice reps with his new quarterback Derek Carr. According to SiriusXM’s Eddie Borsilli, Brown was apologetic to Carr upon his return.
When AB and Carr talked after practice. The first words from Brown were “my bad”
If true, this show of humility by Brown is a huge change of character for the wide receiver. It’s no secret that he and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger didn’t get along. So far it seems like his relationship with Carr is completely different. The two men have gotten along very well. Obvioulsy, that could change if the team starts to struggle and Brown isn’t getting his usual stats, but it’s a positive start.
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Jon Gruden Says Brown Will Play Week One
Even though Brown has been missing valuable practice time, there’s no doubt who the number one receiver on the roster is. He was ranked the best wide receiver in the NFL by his peers and he can still be productive after missing most of training camp. It’s anybody’s guess when exactly he’ll return, but we know he should be back by week one, according to Jon Gruden.
That’s good because the Denver Broncos still sport a formidable defense. The Raiders will want to start the season strong at home for Monday Night Football. It is very unlikley Brown will see the field for any preseason games. That being said, he is back in Napa, so he could return to practice any day now. With him present, the Raiders could have one of the strongest receiving corps in the NFL.
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