Antonio Brown's podiatric situation is strange, mysterious and possibly hilarious.
But we all know that's par for the course with the Raiders.
What we don't know is when Brown will be on the field for the Raiders, and that has the entire NFL buzzing, more than a few hands in the East Bay wringing, and reporters from Pittsburgh taking victory laps for a team they cover.
I saw the Instagram post _ I know Brown's foot issue isn't nothing _ but I'm not sure his gross, peeling feet are worth this much ado.
It's August, after all.
And it's Brown _ one of the best players and possibly the single hardest worker in the league. I'll start to worry about a veteran of his ilk not being on the practice field when the preseason ends at the end of the month, rosters are cut nearly in half, and the real season begins.
Now, is this situation ideal? Of course not. Those feet are nasty and those are Brown's moneymakers. But I don't see a true crisis here, just strangeness, a desire for reality-show-quality drama in a quiet period in the American sports world, and a bunch of people's schadenfreude.
Brown is currently away from the Raiders, "gathering information" on the injury, per coach Jon Gruden. When Gruden was asked if there was any update with Brown on Thursday, he snapped back:
"He's still gathering. I don't have any information other than that," punctuated by that trademark Gruden growl.
While this is all a bit too hyped, you can't blame Gruden or the Raiders for being frustrated _ they want Brown at training camp, taking in team meetings and building chemistry, on and off the field, with his teammates, particularly quarterback Derek Carr. Brown is one of the league's true, bona fide game-changers _ the Raiders players and coaches would like to see what that kind of talent can do for their offense before the season starts.
But had Brown turned an ankle on the first day in Napa _ on the field, not getting out of that hot air balloon _ his absence in camp and the caution being exhibited would not be treated this way. Hell, if this was his second year with the Raiders, I doubt this injury would be getting this level of attention.
The only reason this is a story _ the only reason those hands are wringing and confetti is flying in Pittsburgh (great look, by the way) _ is because the enigmatic new guy picked up a weird injury away from the football field that doesn't exactly shine a positive light on him.
We're only talking about a 31-year-old future Hall of Famer not practicing in August because of the jokes and some people's need to project their issues onto the situation.
But whether the culprit of this problem is frostbite via a cryotherapy chamber or macerated feet, as suggested by former Chargers team doctor and internet diagnoser Dr. David Chao on NBC Sports Bay Area's Raiders Insider Podcast, the fact that we've seen Brown be able to run with the injury _ thanks to HBO's Hard Knocks cameras _ certainly suggests that this is not some catastrophic injury that will have massive ramifications for the rest of the season or the rest of his career.
I'm no internet doctor, but I have skin and a screenshot, and I think it's fair to say that Brown simply needs to stay off his feet for a while to let them puppies heal.
The Raiders have a month before they play their season opener _ hosting the Broncos on Monday Night Football on Sept. 9. That's a long ways away.
And, so far as I can tell, there's no reason to believe Brown won't be on the field for that contest.
Let me put it this way: I'd still draft the guy in fantasy football. (And in a sick way, that's an element in all this nonsense, too.)
In the meantime, keep it up with the jokes.
Oh, and AB filing a helmet grievance against the NFL doesn't matter either. It's just weird, too.
