Antonio Brown Was At Raiders Practice But Reportedly Has A New Helmet Grievance With The NFL

Antonio Brown doesn’t appear to be retiring because of his helmet issues with the NFL, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s done fighting the league to get his way. Brown appears ready to play for the Raiders, who traded for the wideout in the offseason. But the former Pittsburgh Steeler hasn’t given up hope that he can wear the same model of helmet he’s worn his entire career despite it now being illegal in the NFL.

Brown has apparently been scrambling to find a new helmet that adheres to the league’s safety regulations but also is the same model as what he’s worn his entire career, which he prefers and claims is both a safety and vision issue. It’s a stance that kept him away from Raiders training camp for much of the summer.

The Raiders themselves were openly wondering whether Brown was “in” on playing with the team as recently as Sunday. But according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Brown was at Raiders practice on Monday.

ProFootballTalk reported late Monday night, however, that Brown had filed a new grievance with the NFL about his helmet, which has kept him — along with a foot injury — away from almost the entirety of Raiders training camp.

Schefter reported that fact shortly afterward, which means another decision on a Schutt AiR Advantage helmet may be coming soon.

Still, Brown is taking the fight down to the very last legal filing he can make before being forced to take the field in a different helmet. It seems unlikely that Brown’s career ends here, so he will probably have a new helmet soon. But you have to credit him for trying every avenue he can to get his way.