Oakland Raiders general manager Mike Mayock played bad cop Sunday, saying it was time for Antonio Brown to be "all-in or all-out" after the receiver "exhausted all avenues" in his helmet situation.
Brown's agent Drew Rosenhaus disagrees with the notion that all roads have been plowed in the helmet situation.
"We've worked very closely with the Raiders, and we will continue to work very closely with the Raiders," Rosenhaus said Sunday night on WSVN in Miami. "I'm not sure that we agree that we've exhausted all the options as Mike Mayock said, but there's no doubt it's still an ongoing process. We are trying to work with the team and the league and the union to try and come up with a solution, we haven't figured it out yet. To say that AB is upset about the decision to not let him wear his helmet is accurate, but we are still processing it and figuring it out. I wouldn't make too much about him not being there today, as much as we are still trying to come up with a solution that works for everyone."
It seems as though Mayock's comments this weekend resonated with Brown, as the receiver was back with the team Monday morning in Napa, California, per NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
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. But after participating in the walk-through Saturday, the Pro Bowl receiver skipped Sunday's workout, leading to Mayock's reaction.
As Rosenhaus indicated, the helmet situation isn't over for Brown, who tries to find a way to wear a Schutt Air Advantage. Perhaps a second grievance will be brought after the league shut down his latest avenue to wearing the newer (less than 10 years old) helmets Brown found.
One thing is certain, this isn't the last we've heard from Brown's helmet saga, which threatens to hover over the Raiders' entire preseason.
