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It’s been a weird couple of weeks for Antonio Brown, who suffered a bit of a setback thanks to a bizarre foot injury courtesy of cryotherapy treatment gone wrong that threatened to sideline the wide receiver for an undetermined amount of time.
Shortly after, things took one hell of a turn when a report surfaced claiming the former Steeler was threatening to retire after being informed he’d no longer be allowed to wear his preferred helmet (a report he would go on to deny) and he’s been on the search for a suitable head bucket ever since.
The Raiders are understandably frustrated with what can only be described as a patently absurd situation, and on Sunday, GM Mike Mayock seemed to issue an ultimatum after being asked about the ongoing drama.
GM Mike Mayock issued a statement today regarding Antonio Brown. pic.twitter.com/5ueLsrOmid
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) August 18, 2019
Here’s what he had to say:
“He’s pretty upset about the helmet issue. We have supported that. We appreciate that. But at this point, we’ve pretty much exhausted all avenues of relief. So from our perspective, it’s time for him to be all in or all out. So we’re hoping he’s back soon.”
However, it appears not everyone is on the same page, as Brown’s agent Drew Rosenhaus responded to Mayock and said Brown was still exploring his options.
Antonio Brown's agent — @RosenhausSports — provides an update on where AB stands with the Raiders after GM Mike Mayock's comments today about Brown being "all in or all out." pic.twitter.com/VWOBfzPvwH
— WSVN 7 Sports (@7SportsXtra) August 19, 2019
Here’s a transcript of his comments via Larry Brown Sports:
“I’m not sure that we agree that we’ve exhausted all the options, as Mike Mayock said. There’s no doubt it’s still an ongoing process.
We’re trying to work with the team and the league and the union to 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’re still processing it and figuring it out.”
Over the weekend, it was revealed Brown had managed to track down an approved Schutt AiR Advantage helmet only to experience yet another setback after it failed to pass testing (although it appears he’s still holding out hope a couple of others may be approved).
#Raiders WR Antonio Brown may not yet be out of options. My understanding is two more helmets — same Schutt AiR Advantage that he prefers — are being tested for possible use. They were made in different years than his original one tested. A 2014 and a 2010.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 19, 2019
This week’s episode of Hard Knocks is shaping up to be an all-timer.