Antonio Brown won’t be suiting up for the Raiders in Week 1, but no suspension is currently confirmed, according to his agent and NFL Network reports.
After reports about an altercation between Oakland Raiders receiver Antonio Brown and Raiders general manager Mike Mayock went public on Thursday, there has been copious speculation about what the Raiders might do with their talented, expensive and problematic player.
While nothing long-term has been revealed, we do know this: Brown won’t be playing in the Raiders’ Week 1 game against the Denver Broncos on Monday night. This is according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who tweeted Thursday that “The #Raiders are not planning to have WR Antonio Brown for Week 1.”
As noted, it’s unclear if Brown is under suspension or will simply be labeled as “inactive” for Monday’s game. Brown won’t be with the Raiders during his time off, however.
NFL Network also spoke with Brown’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, who doesn’t yet know what the Raiders’ plan for Brown is moving forward.
He does, however, believe that the relationship between Brown and the Raiders can be salvaged, saying (via Rapoport), “There is two sides to every story. My job is to bring everything back, try and get things worked out.”
Rosenhaus added, “My hope is there isn’t a suspension and I’m not aware of any as of yet. I’m working with them to try to and avoid this scenario.”
As noted, a suspension or other punishment for conduct detrimental to the team could be enough to void nearly $30 million in Brown’s contract guarantees and would essentially end his time with the Raiders before playing a single game for his new team. But if that’s the plan, the Raiders aren’t going public with it. Both Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden declined to discuss Brown when meeting with the media earlier on Thursday.
While the Raiders were well aware of Brown’s penchant for creating and stoking drama, things clearly have gotten out of hand over the course of the summer. Now, things have spilled over into arguments — or worse — with the general manager, and the Raiders have a decision to make about the relationship moving forward.
But Brown isn’t in the Raiders’ Week 1 plans as of now; whether he’s not in Week 2, or permanently, is yet to be seen.