Antonio Brown joins Raiders in Alameda with helmet in hand
Raiders' Antonio Brown was a full participant in Tuesday's practice, according to Jon Gruden
ALAMEDA — The saga involving Antonio Brown and his choice of helmet may be nearing an end as coach Jon Gruden said Tuesday his marquee receiver wore a helmet and was a full participant in the Raiders’ practice at their East Bay headquarters.
Brown was on the field well before 11 a.m. when stretches began. He left the field to briefly enter the team’s fieldhouse, but came back right before the stretching period ended.
Brown was seen later coming off the practice field at the Raiders facility with a helmet in hand.
“It is a certified helmet,” Gruden said. “He’s all-in, ready to go. That’s my understanding. We’re happy to have him out here. He’s a great player.”
Monday, Brown filed a second grievance against the NFL that once again sought for him to wear his preferred Schutt Air Advantage helmet, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Brown lost his first grievance with the NFL on Aug. 13.
Antonio Brown back with teammates. No helmet though. #Raiders pic.twitter.com/5Ixe7QisRE
— Jerry McDonald (@Jerrymcd) August 20, 2019
Brown prefers his brand of helmet and believes it allows him better vision than the alternatives provided by the team. Brown’s helmet is more than 10 years old and thus cannot be certified as safe by the National Operating Committee on Standards of Athletic Equipment.
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Monday morning, Brown’s agent Drew Rosenhaus, a guest on ESPN’s “Get Up,” said that he and Brown were seeking a “permanent solution” to the helmet issue, and this grievance seems to be the manifestation of that solution from Brown’s perspective.
The Raiders left Napa after they broke camp Monday.
Tuesday, Gruden said Brown, who suffered frostbite in his feet following a cryotherapy session in France last month, looked “really good” as the team went through a roughly hour-long practice.
“He’s shown great retention of what we’re doing,” Gruden said. “It’s good to have him back. He’s in great shape, running hard and running good routes.”
Sunday, Raiders general manager Mike Mayock issued an ultimatum of sorts to Brown, saying it was “time for him to be all in, or all out.”
“We’ve got 89 guys busting their tails,” Mayock said. “We’re really excited about where this franchise is going. And we hope A.B. will be a big part of it, starting Week 1 against Denver. End of story. No questions.”
Gruden said he was still finalizing who would play Thursday when the Raiders face the Green Bay Packers in Winnipeg, Manitoba in their third preseason game. The Raiders are 2-0 in exhibition games.
“It’s not been a distraction to me at all. I mean, I hate to break it to anybody, but we’ve known what the status is in regards to his feet,” Gruden said of Brown. “He showed up with frostbite. I’ve never had a guy show up with frostbite, and fortunately we got that this under control.
“This grievance thing is no laughing matter. It’s something that’s really important to him. There’s nothing wrong with supporting your players and the things that that believe in. We also understand the league’s position. But I’m confident that he’s going to be a heck of a player for us and be ready to go.”