Apparently, there was a method to Antonio Brown's recent social media madness as he reportedly deliberately tried to orchestrate his release from the Raiders.
Brown reached out to social media consultants, looking for advice on what he could do to ensure the Raiders would let him go, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Sunday.
If that sounds outrageous, you wouldn't be alone _ one of the consultants Brown reached out to couldn't tell whether the wide receiver was serious or not, according to Mortensen.
Shortly after posting a plea on Instagram for the Raiders to release him after they fined him $215,073.53 for conduct detrimental to the team, Brown got his wish and was released Saturday. Just hours later, he signed with the Patriots after also considering the Browns and Seahawks.
The mercurial wide receiver raised eyebrows last week by posting a letter from general manager Mike Mayock on Instagram. He then posted a YouTube video that included a secretly taped conversation with coach Jon Gruden.
Despite Gruden's insistence on Friday that all was good with his All-Pro receiver and he would play on Monday night, the Raiders had reportedly decided on Thursday they had enough of Brown. The Raiders spent Thursday calling around the league, looking to trade Brown, Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported Sunday.
In addition to his social media postings, ESPN reported Brown further tested the Raiders' patience on Wednesday when, after turning in a dominating performance at practice, he complained his hamstring was bothering him and he needed an MRI. One team source told ESPN they felt Brown "was trying to pull one over on us."
After telling Brown not to show up to practice Thursday morning, the Raiders' decision to part ways with him came after he missed a meeting that night with Gruden, according to ESPN.
Throughout his short, tumultuous time with the Raiders, Brown's actions seemed to back up the contention by some league insiders that he never wanted to be traded to Oakland in the first place.
