There's Absolutely No Reason to Defend Antonio Brown During Ridiculous Helmet Spat
Antonio Brown has the football world in the palm of his hand right now, from forcing a trade out of Pittsburgh to freezing his feet all the way to HelmetGate. Every fan, general manager, fantasy owner and HBO producer is carefully watching his every move to see what comes next for No. 84.
Regardless of what comes next, Brown deserves no defense in this situation. He's made the Raiders' life a living hell with a lack of communication and unprofessional behavior.
Antonio Brown has every right to be upset about the helmet situation. At best, the communication between the NFL, the Raiders, and Brown's camp has been horrendous. At worst, the league is deliberately sticking it to him.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) August 18, 2019
There's a simple solution to this situation that seemingly Brown has forgotten about: wear a different helmet like everyone else.
He lost the appeal grievance for good reason, as the helmet was no longer approved by the NFL's standards. At that point, it's time to move forward with a different helmet, and it looked like AB was prepared to do that.
GM Mike Mayock issued a statement today regarding Antonio Brown. pic.twitter.com/5ueLsrOmid
— Oakland Raiders (@Raiders) August 18, 2019
Until he wasn't.
Brown found a 2014 version of the helmet he uses, with the NFL yet to test it. It's unlikely the helmet holds up to the NFL's standards, creating an even bigger problem.
It's unclear what Brown has to gain at this point. He's pissed off important people within the Raiders' organization, including general manager Mike Mayock.
The NFL is doing itself zero favors with how it's handling this whole mess as well. Both parties are seemingly trying to one up the other, with no real end in sight.
As unfair as it may seem to Brown, it's time for AB to move on with a new helmet and get back to practice.