Update: Antonio Brown has been released by the Oakland Raiders, according to a new report by The Inquisitr .
The 2019 NFL regular season just started on Thursday night, but the drama between the Oakland Raiders and Antonio Brown has been going on for weeks. After the issues with frostbitten feet and use of an old helmet, Brown apologized to his teammates in a heartfelt speech on Friday morning. Now, more information has come out regarding the situation between him and Raiders’ General Manager Mike Mayock, and it is worse than originally anticipated.
Reports of Brown possibly being suspended by the Raiders this week began swirling after he mocked being fined by the organization. ESPN reports that on Friday morning, Brown issued an “emotional apology” during a team meeting as the team captains were said to be “standing with him.”
Sources said that the team “treated him like a family member” after he delivered his apologetic speech.
Everything that has transpired during the weeks of training camp and the preseason came to a head on Wednesday afternoon. Midway through practice, there was a confrontation between Mayock and Brown that was said to be a “heated exchanged” which turned quite ugly in a hurry.
Mayock was watching practice when Brown walked over to the GM and initiated the exchange on the sideline. Brown was said to use a number of “cuss words” and even called Mayock a “cracker” as others watched on from a distance.
The Raiders GM was said to have kept his cool during the whole situation and even just “walked away because he saw it escalate,” said a source to ESPN.
What Antonio Brown called Raiders GM Mike Mayock that led to their confrontation and the two men having to be separated, per @JosinaAnderson . https://t.co/WrxwWHbqJR
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 6, 2019
Deadspin is reporting that the confrontation between the two was more of a “screaming match” which had Brown threatening to punch Mayock. As things continued to get heated between the two, the situation never became violent as Vontaze Burfict stepped in to help cool things down a bit.
For a couple of weeks now, Mayock appeared ready to move on from Antonio Brown, cut their losses, and see if the Raiders could get some guaranteed money back. Head coach Jon Gruden was hopeful of having the talented Brown on the field, though, and has always been willing to welcome him back if things were resolved.
UPDATE on Friday, September 6, 2019, at 2:15 p.m. Eastern
ESPN is reporting that Raiders head coach Jon Gruden says AB playing on Monday night is the plan.
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It is not yet known if the Oakland Raiders are just going to let things go after the apology, but it was a good step for Antonio Brown. With Brown having apologized, it’s not totally out of the question for him to play in the season opener against the Denver Broncos on Monday. Still, he hasn’t really played or practiced much since joining the team and the staff may not yet be ready to throw him out on the field.