The blonde mustache should’ve been a dead giveaway.
Even if the Oakland Raiders ignored all the drama between Antonio Brown and the Pittsburgh Steelers — which they didn’t, because that saga had more twists than a season of The Bachelor — Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden could have seen something like this coming from the mustache alone.
Antonio Brown seems to be all about “the saga,” whether it’s about his mustache, his blistered feet, his helmet grievances, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster or Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert. Maybe they couldn’t have anticipated a holdout with the NFL over a helmet — which has, for now, come to an end. Maybe they couldn’t have guessed Brown would suffer burns from a cryotherapy chamber. But they had to know something like this was coming, right? It’s totally on-brand for AB.
There’s no denying Brown’s ability when you watch the game film — or even just the highlights. A highlight can be deceiving for most players, showing just what he does best. With Brown, he’s pretty much always putting together highlight-worth plays. His routes, his catching abilities and his elusiveness are on par with some of the greats at his position. But like so many of the greatest divas at the position (like Terrell Owens, Chad Ochocinco, Randy Moss and so many others), Brown’s persona extends beyond the football field in a big way. Some of the drama is mild: a hunger games hairstyle or that time he accidentally-then-on-purpose kicked a guy in the face. Some of it is less mild: the decision to skip work with the Steelers and, now, the Raiders.
He’s unpredictable, temperamental and in love with the spotlight. He’s the same guy that the Raiders acquired this summer — he’s not going to change. That’s why he cost just a third- and fourth-round pick in the trade. That was wise by Oakland — it didn’t overextend for a player who comes with complications. Though, the Raiders did guarantee Browns’ salary for the next two seasons, which puts them in a bit of a bind. Mayock’s stern statement on Sunday, in which he essentially told Brown to be “in or out,” didn’t come with a ton of leverage. If they were really fed up with AB and wanted to cut him, they’d be on the hook for $30 million of dead money.
Mayock should be pleased that his statement seemed to work — for now. And that Brown is falling in line — for now. But we’re talking about Brown, a player who showed up to training camp in a hot air balloon, did a Facebook Live during a post-game speech, which got his previous coach Mike Tomlin in trouble and faced allegations of throwing furniture out of a 14th-floor window. Something else will come up. Something new will send cameras spinning in Brown’s direction. It’s just a matter of time. At this rate, it’s only going to get crazier.
