VIDEO: Derek Carr Raving About Antonio Brown's Work Ethic is a Bad Joke

Once Antonio Brown was traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Oakland Raiders, the thought was that he would put his penchant for drama behind him and focus on leading the Black and Silver back to the playoffs. That has proven not to be the case so far, as the emotional wide receiver is in the middle of a battle against the NFL over helmets, of all things. As a result, Brown has gone AWOL from Raiders training camp and is apparently threatening to retire from the game of football altogether if he doesn't get his way. And interestingly enough, ESPN released a snippet of an interview with his quarterback, Derek Carr, who actually praised AB's work ethic (when he's on the field, of course).

Talk about awkward timing.

Granted, Carr did say that that's how No. 84 acts while he's practicing with his teammates rather than abandoning them. However, training camp has been overshadowed by his ridiculous helmet grievance and the cryotherapy frostbite snafu that totally wrecked his feet. It's simply not possible to be a hard worker if you're not even there for your guys at all.

All eyes will be on the Raiders throughout the next week, as Brown is expected receive an answer from a labor arbitrator in regards to his grievance against the NFL, Whether that will determine when (or if) he'll return to the team, of course, remains to be seen.

Chalk this up as a case of Derek Carr not wanting to throw Antonio Brown under the bus, and instead embracing him as a teammate. For that, you can't blame him. But the optics here are absolutely absurd at the moment.