Another day in Oakland, another dustup with the Raiders and Antonio Brown.
Just one day after the receiver publicly blasted his team by posting a disciplinary letter he received for skipping team activities on Instagram, an ESPN report indicates that the team plans to suspend Brown following his exchange Wednesday with general manager Mike Mayock.
According to the Athletic, Brown was held back by a few teammates during Wednesday’s confrontation. NFL Network reported that Brown told Mayock he would hit him in the face and then punted a ball, telling the general manager to fine him for doing so.
“WHEN YOUR OWN TEAM WANT TO HATE BUT THERE’S NO STOPPING ME NOW DEVIL IS A LIE. EVERYONE GOT TO PAY THIS YEAR SO WE CLEAR,” Brown wrote Wednesday morning in a story posted to his Instagram account.
Antonio Brown posts his displeasure with fines from #Raiders pic.twitter.com/0OMhdwFu7K
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) September 4, 2019
Brown’s comments were captioned over an image of the fine letter he received from Mayock. The letter describes that Brown missed a walkthrough on August 22, for which the team was fining him $13,950, as allowed by the collective bargaining agreement. The Raiders were in Winnipeg that day preparing for a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers.
The letter also indicates that Brown was previously fined $40,000 for missing a training camp practice on August 18.
If the Raiders suspend Brown for conduct detrimental to the team, the move could void guarantees in the receiver’s contract. Brown has $30.125 million guaranteed, $1 million of which he has received as a signing bonus, in the deal he reworked with Oakland upon his arrival via trade from Pittsburgh.
Brown’s tenure in Oakland so far has been nothing short of tumultuous. The team acquired him in an offseason trade with the Steelers, where he spent the first nine seasons of his career, earning seven Pro Bowl selections and four all-pro nominations.
But Brown was sidelined to start training camp after he suffered an accident during a cryotherapy session that left his feet with extreme frostbite.
Then, Brown waged a battle against the NFL and the NFL Players Association in which he sought to wear the same helmet model he has worn his entire career, the Schutt AiR Advantage. He filed two separate grievances against the NFL, both of which were denied. While Brown was pursuing that cause, he skipped several mandatory team activities.
Brown’s old helmet model was older than 10 years, and thus was ineligible for certification by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment.
Brown, 31, is entering his 10th season in the NFL, and was scheduled to make his Raiders debut Monday night against the Denver Broncos.
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