The Antonio Brown era in Oakland may be over before it has a chance to truly begin. Brown, who is recovering from a bizarre cryotherapy mishap that left him with frostbitten feet, is reportedly considering walking away from the game of football over a disagreement on NFL helmet regulations.
Brown uses a specific helmet model that had been phased out of the NFL in 2018, as the model no longer met the safety standards necessary to be certified by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment. Brown, along with the other players who used outdated helmets, was given a grace year to transition to a newer model – but Brown is now refusing to wear any other helmet, and has filed a grievance to the NFL.
According to NFL.com’s Michael Silver, the Raiders have repeatedly tried to get Brown to switch to an approved helmet, but the team has had little success. Silver reported Friday that at one point in Raiders camp, Brown had one of his old helmets repainted to make it look passable, but the Raiders stepped in and prevented him from wearing it.
The latest report by Adam Schefter has NFL fans dumbfounded.
Brown spoke to an independent arbitrator and made his case on Friday, according to ESPN. He also posted a cryptic message on Instagram.
NFL fans had plenty of jokes.
