Antonio Brown’s helmet beef might be a bigger problem for Raiders than his feet

The Antonio Brown era has gotten off to a rocky start, and the problems in Raiders camp appear to extend beyond Brown’s alarming frostbite injury.

Brown, who has missed much of camp as the Raiders prepare for their final season in Oakland, entered a cryochamber without adequate protection on his feet and suffered frostbite. Brown shared a gnarly photo of the injury on Instagram. The initial reports on the severity of the injury have varied, and it’s unclear how much time Brown will miss as he recovers.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, a disagreement over an NFL equipment policy is also contributing to Brown’s absence from Raiders camp.

Also FWIW: Antonio Brown’s recent absence from Raiders’ camp has more to do with his helmet grievance than this blistered feet, per league sources.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 9, 2019

ESPN reported that Brown has filed a helmet grievance to the league, and is seeking permission to wear an outdated helmet that does not meet updated safety standards. Prior to the 2018 season, the league announced that 10 types of helmets had been removed from the approved list, as they did not qualify for certification by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment.

The NFL granted players who wore the outdated helmets – a group that included Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, along with Brown – a one season grace period to switch to a new helmet for 2019. Any team that allows a player to wear an outdated helmet can be punished by the NFL.

As detailed in a wild Twitter thread by NFL.com’s Michael Silver, Brown has attempted on several occasions to wear his old helmet, and has been stopped by the Raiders each time.

THREAD: 1) Even before suffering bizarre injuries to his feet, Antonio Brown alarmed Raiders coaches and teammates by railing against the NFL’s enhanced enforcement of helmet regulations, a policy change which will likely force the star receiver to switch to a new model…

— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) August 9, 2019

5) His continued frustration surrounding the situation has created a buzz among teammates and coaches, one of whom referred to the saga as “honestly the most insane thing I have ever heard. I don’t know why it’s so important to him. It doesn’t make any sense.” …

— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) August 9, 2019

11) Shortly thereafter, Brown stormed out of the facility in protest. Later that day, Raiders officials found video footage of Rodgers, during the Green Bay Packers’ OTA session, wearing an approved-model helmet and texted it to Brown…

— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) August 9, 2019

Brown went as far as to paint an outdated helmet to make it look like an approved Raiders helmet, but was stopped and forced to switch to an approved helmet.

14) He was told the helmet was not allowed, and once again, he acquiesced and wore the new model. Before Brown arrived at training camp last month, coaches and teammates believed the issue had been resolved…

— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) August 9, 2019

Silver also reports at Brown has been distracted at meetings, and seems more interested in checking his bank accounts than following football discussions.

19) Brown, according to witnesses, typically glances at the screens of several tablets and his smart phone during meetings, distracting himself by engaging in activities which include perusing his bank accounts and “liking” photos on Instagram…

— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) August 9, 2019

The current situation in Napa seems to be the start of a nightmare scenario for the Raiders, and Brown isn’t budging, per reports.

And now this: Raiders’ WR Antonio Brown has told team officials that, unless he gets to wear his old helmet, he will not play football again, per league sources.

And more….

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 9, 2019