Antonio Brown missed practice again, and it was because of his helmet, again.
Just 24 hours after participating in the Raiders' walkthrough, the wide receiver did not attend Oakland's workout in Napa, California. General manager Mike Mayock delivered a stern message afterward -- which the team issued itself on Twitter -- regarding Brown's absence.
"You all know that A.B. is not here today," Mayock said. "So, here's the bottom line. He's upset about the helmet issue. We have supported that, we appreciate that. OK? But at this point we've pretty much exhausted all avenues of relief. So from our perspective, it's time for him to be all-in or all-out. OK? So we're hoping he's back soon. We got 89 guys busting their tails. We are really excited about where this franchise is going, and we hope A.B.'s going to be a big part of it, starting Week 1 against Denver. End of story No questions. OK? Just wanted you guys to know where we were."
It's another about-face in a saga that's been filled with them. Brown was away from the team for the majority of camp because of his desire to use his old helmet model that is no longer legal in the NFL. The All-Pro wideout has also been hampered by frostbitten feet after not wearing proper footwear while using a cryogenic chamber.
A day after his grievance to use the old helmet was denied, Brown returned to Napa last Tuesday.
"While I disagree with the arbitrator's decision, I'm working on getting back to full health and looking forward to rejoining my teammates on the field," he wrote on Twitter last week. "I'm excited about this season appreciate all the concerns about my feet!"
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Thursday that Brown was "very close to practicing," as he accompanied his new team to Arizona for its preseason game against the Cardinals. He was still with them as of Saturday. Sunday, as it has often been, was a different story, this time with his general manager seemingly issuing an ultimatum to the player he traded for just a few months back and subsequently signed to a $50 million deal: Be here or be gone.
Stay tuned.
