The whirlwind Antonio Brown saga in Oakland is over, at least according to Raiders head coach Jon Gruden.
Brown’s future with the team appeared to be at risk on Thursday, after it was first reported that Brown was involved in a heated dispute with general manager Mike Mayock earlier in the week. As of Thursday, the Raiders reportedly planned to suspend Brown – which could have potentially put his $30 million in guaranteed money at risk, if the Raiders decided to cut ties.
On Friday morning, ESPN’s Josina Anderson reported new details about the confrontation. According to ESPN, Brown instigated the clash with Mayock and called the GM a “cracker,” and “unleashed a barrage of cuss words.” Anderson later reported that Brown apologized to the team on Friday.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Gruden told people within the team on Thursday that he was not planning to play Brown Week 1. After Brown’s apology to the team, Gruden told reporters that the Raiders were happy to have Brown back, and that he is expected to play on Monday.
“I don’t really have a prepared statement, I’ll just say Antonio’s back today. We’re really excited about that. Ready to move on. He’s had a lot of, obviously, time to think about things. We’re happy to have him back, and I know Raider Nation’s excited about that too.”
NFL fans and analysts had plenty of jokes about the state of the Raiders.
UPDATE: Brown has been released.
