The last week has been a tumultuous one for Antonio Brown. The All-Pro wide receiver publicized a fine he received from the Oakland Raiders after missing time this offseason, which led to a practice spat with general manager Mike Mayock on Thursday. In the aftermath, Brown’s future with the Raiders got called into question, but in the event he stayed with the team, it seemed likely that he could end up getting suspended.
On Friday morning, though, reports indicated that Brown and the Raiders may have moved past all of this, with the former Pittsburgh Steelers standout offering up an emotional apology to his teammates at a meeting. It turns out that is, indeed, the case.
Raiders coach Jon Gruden met with the media on Friday and announced that the team has decided to not suspend Brown, and when the team takes the field on Monday night against Denver, No. 84 will line up at wide receiver.
Statement from #Raiders HC Jon Gruden: “Antonio is back today. We’re excited about that. Ready to move on.” Gruden says the plan is to have Antonio Brown play on Monday @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/UCq1n1JPUZ
— MJ Acosta-Ruiz (@MJAcostaTV) September 6, 2019
“He’s had a lot of, obviously, time to think about things, and we’re happy to have him back,” Gruden said. “I know Raider Nation is excited about that, too.”
From a purely football standpoint, having Brown on the field is a gigantic boost for Oakland. He may be the best wide receiver in football, and he gives Derek Carr a WR1 that he would not have in the event he missed time. Basically, he makes the Raiders offense better, and seeing as how they had one of the worst offenses in the league last season, that’s really important.
