Oakland Raiders Star Antonio Brown Threatens to Never Play in NFL Again Over Helmet Dispute

Antonio Brown is taking a stand for his helmet and it could cost him his career. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the star Oakland Raiders wide receiver told team officials if he's not able to wear his old helmet, he will never play in the NFL again. This stems from the NFL announcing in April that teams will be punished if players are caught wearing a prohibited helmet.

And now this: Raiders’ WR Antonio Brown has told team officials that, unless he gets to wear his old helmet, he will not play football again, per league sources.

And more....

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 9, 2019

Schefter went on to say the new helmet he has to wear interferes with his vision when he tries to catch a football. The Raiders have sent Brown other helmets to wear, but he's only interested in his old one.

Antonio Brown believes the new helmet that the rules mandate he wears protrudes out and interferes with his vision as he tries to catch football. The Raiders have been sending Brown other approved helmets to try out but, at this time, he is not interested in wearing any of them.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 9, 2019

During this offseason, Brown has dealt with issues surrounding the lawn care of his Pittsburgh home, he accepted a plea deal for speeding, and he has settled a case from last year in which he was being sued for throwing furniture off a balcony and nearly hitting a young child. He was also sued by a personal trainer after failing to pay $7,194.81.

While Brown may be on the wrong side of 30, it's impossible to deny that he has been one of the league's best receivers since he entered as a sixth-round pick out of Central Michigan. Over the first nine years of his career, Brown has topped 100 receptions six consecutive times en route to becoming the fastest player to reach 800 receptions.

Additionally, Brown is the second-fastest receiver to reach 10,000 receiving yards, trailing only former Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson. However, no other receiver besides Brown can boast reaching 1,000 receiving yards and return yards in the same season. He is the only receiver to pull off this feat.

Of course, Brown's days as a return man are over, but that hasn't limited his effectiveness on the field. He has four seasons with double-digit touchdowns to his name, including a 2018 campaign in which he reached a career-high 15 touchdowns. Even at the age of 30, Brown still led the league in receiving touchdowns, and now he will be looking to continue that production in another uniform.

When the Raiders traded for Brown, they were hoping to get a guy who has put his past issues behind him. Now it looks like he could leave the NFL for good which would be another punch in the gut for Raiders fans.