Antonio Brown Released by Oakland Raiders, Twitter Reactions Are Wild

One day after apologizing to the Oakland Raiders for his behavior and saying that he is ready to perform for the fans, Antonio Brown is no longer with the team. As of Saturday morning, the Raiders announced that they had released the embattled wide receiver, granting a wish that he had made public earlier in the day.

Given that he is a veteran, Brown will not have to spend time on the waiver wire waiting for someone to claim him. He will be a free agent as of 4:00 p.m. EST and can sign with anyone that comes calling. Although the list of suitors may be limited seeing how his tenure in the Bay Area lasted six months and was known for controversy.

Obviously, the reactions to Brown’s release were wild considering that this move comes after agent Drew Rosenhaus said that this relationship could be salvaged and that Brown wanted to play for the Raiders. The veteran receiver even apologized to the team on Friday and said that he was ready to focus on playing against the Denver Broncos on Monday night.

That wasn’t the case, and now Raider Nation is extremely angry about the wasted money on jerseys and other merchandise. Brown didn’t play a single snap during the preseason or the regular season and instead served as a dominating storyline during Hard Knocks and the offseason. What a strange offseason.

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Dwayne Haskins, the promising rookie quarterback out of Ohio State, is preparing for his first season in the NFL as a member of the Washington Redskins, but this news just blew his mind. Haskins spent a considerable amount of time with Brown during the offseason, working on routes in Florida. It even appeared that the Raiders would select Haskins in the weeks leading up to the NFL Draft and would pair him with Brown in the Silver and Black. Well, Haskins landed with Washington, but he could have another opportunity to play with Brown in the NFL, provided Jon Gruden’s younger brother, Jay, wants to deal with the headlines. 

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Over the past two-and-a-half days, the timeline surrounding Antonio Brown has been 1. fined by the Oakland Raiders. 2. Get into an altercation with general manager Mike Mayock. 3. Apologize to the Raiders after hearing news of a suspension. 4. Release private audio of Jon Gruden in a YouTube video and receive another fine. 5. Request a trade on Saturday morning due to having voided guarantees in his contract. 6. Get released. What a wild weekend in the NFL and Saturday isn’t even half over.

 

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Mike Tomlin is the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers and has been dealing with Antonio Brown’s personality since the 2010 season. He is the man that helped identify the dynamic wide receiver as a little-known prospect out of Central Michigan and helped turn him into the league’s biggest brand. However, Tomlin is also the man that benched Brown during the Week 17 game in 2018 for disciplinary reasons. Evil Mike Tomlin, however, is simply someone that loves watching the chaos surrounding Antonio Brown. 

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The prevailing belief as of Saturday night is that Antonio Brown will be signing with the New England Patriots and catching touchdown passes from Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. One NFL analyst even anticipates a situation in which Brown plays against his former team (Pittsburgh Steelers) on Sunday night when the Patriots host the AFC contender. Well, this scenario won’t play out. If Brown is signed on Saturday, he won’t be eligible to play on Sunday. He could play on Monday as a member of the Broncos, the Saints, or the Texans, but every other team would have to wait until week two. 

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Tony Dungy is one of the most respected figures in the NFL. Once a coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Indianapolis Colts, Dungy became the first African American coach to win a Super Bowl, and he was beloved by players from Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne. When Dungy talks, people listen, and he has some thoughts about Antonio Brown’s release. He believes that Brown forgot about the most important factor in football. It’s a team sport. 

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Times certainly have changed in the Bay Area. When Antonio Brown was traded to the Oakland Raiders, he was immediately tasked with explaining what he brings to the team. In his own words, the former Pittsburgh Steelers star said that he brings accountability to the receiving corps. There will be fines for being late to practice, dropping passes, and other reasons. Well, that mindset did not hold up considering that the big kerfuffle in the Bay Area began when Brown was fined for missing practices. 

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One potential underlying issue that may have led to Antonio Brown’s release is the way he chose to apologize. When he met with the team and the media, Brown said that he was sorry to his teammates and his fans. What he didn’t do is apologize to Mike Mayock, the man that he allegedly threatened to punch in the face after calling him a “cracker.” That omission may have played a very large role in his departure from the team.

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How many new beginnings is too many? When Antonio Brown was traded to the Oakland Raiders, agent Drew Rosenhaus expressed optimism that this would be the new beginning for the dynamic receiver after a very contentious departure from Pittsburgh. Well, this new beginning only lasted a mere few months, and now Brown is searching for yet another one. Is there a limit on how many new beginnings are allowed in a calendar year? 

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When training camp began in late July, the Raiders media team captured footage of quarterback Derek Carr walking on the practice field in anticipation of the new season. This was early in the process and only the quarterbacks and rookies were in Napa, but Carr was still excited for the upcoming work. More importantly, he said that the next few weeks would determine who actually wanted to be a member of the Raiders. Unfortunately, Carr got his answer. 

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Cameron Magruder, also known as Scooter, is a man who has built a reputation for wildly entertaining videos where he reacts to different events in the sports world. Whether it’s the Cowboys facing off with the Seahawks in the playoffs or the Florida Gators defeating the Miami Hurricanes, Magruder has a reactions video on tap. Well, he’s also a Dallas Cowboys fan and has no issue proclaiming that the Raiders made a massive mistake trading Amari Cooper and signing Antonio Brown. Magruder believes that Cooper is a better teammate and player, and he’s happy that he’s now on America’s Team.