- Antonio Brown asked for the Oakland Raiders to “release” him in an Instagram post.
- Brown’s post comes after reports that the team had voided $30 million in guaranteed money on his contract due to conduct detrimental to the team.
- It’s been a wild week for Brown and the Raiders, and now it once again looks unlikely that Brown will suit up for the team when they start their season against the Broncos on Monday night.
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Antonio Brown has once again aired his grievances with the Raiders over social media and might have finally prompted the end of his time in Oakland before playing a single snap with the team.
After posting a bizarre YouTube video that included a phone call shared with head coach Jon Gruden on Friday night, Brown posted an image to Instagram on Saturday morning that read, “You are gonna piss a lot of people off when you start doing what’s best for you.”
In the caption of the photo, Brown wrote “I have worked my whole life to prove that the system is blind to see talent like mines. Now that everyone sees it, they want me to conform to that same system that has failed me all those years. ‘I’m not mad at anyone. I’m just asking for the freedom to prove them all wrong.’ Release me @raiders.”
http://instagr.am/p/B2HGYq2B2uT
It initially appeared that Brown's post came somewhat unprompted, but later Saturday morning reports emerged that the Raiders had fined Brown an additional $215,000, a move that according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, meant that the $30 million in guarantees the team owed Brown was now void.
By fining Antonio Brown $215,073.53 last night for conduct detrimental to the team on Sept. 4, the Raiders voided the $29.125 million worth of guaranteed money in his deal, per league sources.
This could help explain why Brown is now asking the Raiders for his release.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 7, 2019
The decision would essentially put Brown on a week-to-week basis with the Raiders, an outcome the receiver was apparently unhappy with.
According to ESPN's Jeff Darlington, Brown said in an email that there's "No way I play after they took that and made my contract week to week."
That said, some in the Raiders building apparently still believe Brown will take the field against the Broncos in just two days.
Spoke to a source in the Raiders building about the latest Antonio Brown situation “we all see the post but you won’t believe me when I tell you that everyone is just working. We are operating like he is playing” #Raiders
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) September 7, 2019
The sequence is just the latest in what has already been a roller coaster few days for Brown and the Raiders, which has seen his status for Monday night's game go from doubtful, to Gruden's assuring fans that Brown would be ready to go for Week 1, to today once again bringing more and more questions.
As things stand, it would be a shock to see Brown playing on Monday night against the Broncos, but if this story has proven one thing, it's that we won't know for certain until kickoff on Monday night.
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