Raiders’ Trent Brown Wears Unique Black Lives Matter Facemask for Game vs. Colts

Las Vegas Raiders offensive lineman Trent Brown made a big statement during Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts. The 27-year old Pro Bowler was seen wearing a special face mask in honor of the Black Lives Matter movement. The center of the cage showed a fist raised in the air, and the photo of him in the facemask went viral.

Brown’s statement was something that hasn’t been done before. But Ryan Young of Yahoo Sports wonders if the facemask is against NFL rules? The rules state that payers are prohibited from “conveying personal messages in writing or illustration” on their helmets or jerseys unless it’s approved by the NFL ahead of time. It also doesn’t allow players to display messages that “relate to political activities or causes, other non-football events, causes or campaigns, or charitable causes or campaigns.”

Raiders fans were happy to see Brown on the field. Sunday’s game was Brown’s third game of the season as he’s been battling a knee injury and COVID-19. The Raiders lost to the Colts 44-27, but Brown played a big role in the Raiders’ production on offense, recording 424 total yards against one of the best defenses in the league.

“I thought Trent was a difference maker. He played great,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said on the team’s official website. “I thought the pocket was clean; I thought we did a good job moving the ball. [It’s] good to have Trent back.” Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was also happy to see Brown back on the offensive line. Carr threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns while being sacked zero times.

“He’s our starting right tackle for a reason,” Carr said. “He’s a great player, and the guys that have filled in for him did a great job. We’ve been able to do some amazing things offensively this year with all the moving pieces it’s been impressive.”

Brown was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round out of Florida. He became a starter in 2016 and was then traded to the New England Patriots in 2018. He moved from right tackle to left tackle and helped the team win the Super Bowl. After the 2018 season, Brown signed a four-year, $66 million contract with the Raiders. At the end of the 2019 season, Brown was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl.