Antonio Brown May Have Directly Asked for His Raiders Release, Possibly Dooming His Grievance Filing

Wide receiver Antonio Brown may not have a job at the moment, but he is currently in pursuit of some money from the Oakland Raiders and the New England Patriots. However, his $30 million grievance against the Silver and Black may have hit a recent snag. The reason being that Brown reportedly requested his release from the team multiple times prior to the move being made.

According to ESPN, the Raiders submitted multiple texts that been sent to team owner Mark Davis by Brown. In the messages, Brown reportedly asked for his release from the team, which ultimately came to pass on September 7.

Brown’s grievance against the Raiders totals more than $30 million when taking into account the $215,000 in fines for conduct detrimental to the team. This also includes a week of salary for week one, which totals $860,294. Finally, Brown is seeking the $29 million in guarantees for the 2019 and 2020 seasons, along with the signing bonus of $1 million.

Brown’s belief is that the Raiders owe him all of this money after paying him exactly zero dollars for the half a year that he spent in the Bay Area. The signing bonus was actually tied to workouts, but Brown was not present for the required percentage. The other money tied up in his contract, on the other hand, was voided after a reported on-field altercation with general manager Mike Mayock.

While the former Raiders receiver believes he is owed all of the guarantees that were part of his post-trade contract, the team is contending that his behavior while on the roster serves as a just argument for voiding his contract.

Whether this is ultimately proven correct is dependent on the system arbitrator that hears the appeal. However, NFL insider Ian Rapoport has previously reported that this will not happen until the spring. Will this arbitrator decide that the Raiders owe Brown the money from his contract, or will these latest text messages play a significant role?

Adding to the Raiders’ case is a previous report that Brown contacted social media experts in order to procure his release from the Raiders, as well as the fact that he posted a video on YouTube after the move was made that showed him running around and celebrating.

Between the texts to Mark Davis, the video on YouTube, and the other factors in play, there is a very real chance that Brown’s grievance against the Raiders will ultimately fail. Although that decision likely will not be made for months.