Antonio Brown went to desperate lengths to get out of Oakland.
The mercurial wide receiver wanted to get released by the Raiders so badly that he reached out to social media consultants for advice on how to speed up the process, according to ESPN, which added that at least one of the consultants couldn’t tell if Brown was serious.
That Brown was so desperate to force his release shows just how wild things had gotten between him and the Raiders.
Brown went the social-media route to take aim at Raiders general manager Mike Mayock on Wednesday, posting a photo to his Instagram story of the fine letter Mayock sent him for missing an Aug. 22 walk-through. That fine was for $13,950 and also mentioned a previous $40,000 fine for missing practice.
“When your own team want to hate but there’s no stopping me now devil is a lie,” Brown wrote in a caption with the photo. “Everyone got to pay this year so we clear.”
After Brown got into an argument with Mayock during an ensuing practice, in which Brown reportedly called Mayock a “cracker,” Brown was reportedly going to be suspended. But then he apologized and was deemed ready for Oakland’s Week 1 game against the Denver Broncos Monday night.
The Raiders grew more angry with Brown when after he dominated the team’s secondary during practice, he said he hurt his hamstring and felt he needed an MRI, according to ESPN.
Brown on Friday posted a video to YouTube which featured a recorded phone conversation he had with Raiders coach Jon Gruden, who told Brown, “Please stop this s–t and just play football. How hard is that? You’re a great football player. Just play football.”
“I’m more than just a football player, man. I’m a real person,” Brown responded. “It ain’t about the football, I know I can do that. I show you guys that on the daily.”
Once Brown was fined again, this time roughly $215,000 for conduct detrimental to the team — a fine believed to have voided Brown’s roughly $30 million in guaranteed money — Brown took to Instagram again Saturday to outright ask for his release in a caption. The photo he posted said, “You are gonna piss a lot of people off when you start doing what’s best for you.”
How much Brown’s social-media strategy played a role in his release is uncertain, but the Raiders did cut Brown hours after the public request. He then signed with the Patriots on a one-year deal worth up to $15 million deal, and a $9 million signing bonus.
That Brown ended up with the Patriots isn’t all that surprising. According to ESPN, the Patriots tried to acquire Brown from the Pittsburgh Steelers in March, but the Steelers weren’t interested in dealing the star wide receiver to a rival. Pittsburgh ultimately traded the 31-year-old to the Oakland Raiders for third- and fifth-round draft picks.
The Raiders tried to trade Brown on Thursday, according to Fox Sports, but no team was willing to give up assets for him.
Due to NFL rules, Brown couldn’t be activated for the Patriots’ Week 1 game Sunday night against the Steelers, Brown’s former team, but he can be active next week.