Antonio Brown Says ‘Never Again’ to Cryo Chambers on ‘Hard Knocks’

Oakland Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown learned a lesson during a recent trip to Paris, and as he explained to head coach Jon Gruden, it was a painful one. The dynamic playmaker was caught on cameras during Tuesday’s episode of Hard Knocks talking to coach Gruden about the ongoing recovery of his feet. He suffered a case of frostbite after a cryo-chamber incident in Paris and hasn’t been able to participate in practice with his teammates.

During the conversation, Gruden asked Brown how his feet were doing. The receiver explained that when his feet get hot, they start burning.

The pain isn’t bad, but sometimes, the burning is so intense that Brown feels the need to take his shoes off. Of course, the sarcastic Gruden asked, “why don’t you go to a cryo-chamber?” Brown responded with, “f— that, coach. Never again.”

As the clip shows, Gruden may be known for his intense love of football and better execution, but he is also a big fan of joking around with his players and teasing them if needed. He set Brown up for the cryo joke, and the receiver walked right into it. This interaction shows that while frustrating, this issue with the frostbitten feet was one that couldn’t be blamed on Brown. Gruden just had to accept the bizarre nature of the injury and move on.

Interestingly enough, there were other moments during this latest episode of Hard Knocks that gave some insight into the recent headlines concerning Brown. As Gruden explained to another figure early in the episode, the Raiders have been well aware of the helmet grievance since the first day of Organized Team Activities. This portion of the offseason program began on May 21, which means that the team and Brown have been trying to figure out the helmet issues for multiple months. This is by no means a recent development.

Unfortunately for the Raiders, it appears that a new helmet has not been found just yet, but the team remains dedicated to finding a replacement. Will the team be able to get permission for Brown to wear his preferred Schutt Air Advantage, or will he simply have to adjust to the new style?

The future may be undecided regarding Brown’s headgear, but one thing is certain: he is not using the cryo-chamber in the future.