The NFL closed the loophole which Antonio Brown intended to exploit in his helmet grievance with the league, according to Pro Football Talk. Brown is not happy about it.
The Oakland Raiders receiver’s favorite helmet is no longer compliant with the NFL’s safety policies. The Schutt AiR Advantage is more than 10 years old, and will be banned from usage in the NFL starting in 2019. While an NFL fan identified a loophole which Brown might exploit — involving the usage of a Schutt AiR Advantage that is fewer than 10 years old — the NFL elected to close the loophole by making that helmet pass a safety test. So while Brown found a handful of newer versions of his helmet, the one he submitted to the NFL for testing was not approved.
“Super Prejudice unbelievable!” Brown wrote on Twitter on Saturday.
Brown has been unable to find another model which he likes, and briefly spent time away from the Raiders during his dispute with the league, which came with reports he might retire. He denied those reports. Brown is back with the Oakland Raiders — for now — and though he is still dealing with foot issues after suffering burns in a cryotherapy cooling chamber, coach Jon Gruden said he thinks Brown is ready to return to practice.
“He took all the reps today in our walkthrough,” Gruden told reporters on Sunday. “He showed great retention, and we’ll see what happens here with this afternoon; we’re going to have a walkthrough today as well. We have a lot of guys that can’t practice so we’ll pick it up tomorrow.”
It’s unclear how Brown will proceed in his fight against the league — and how that might impact his status with the Raiders.
