Social Media Responds to Antonio Brown Threatening to Leave NFL Over Helmet

When the Oakland Raiders traded for veteran wide receiver Antonio Brown, they did so with the hope that he would completely change the receiving corps. Derek Carr needed a top option in the passing attack, and the former Pittsburgh Steelers star was ready to join a new team.

Unfortunately, the marriage between Brown and his new team has not been particularly smooth, per reports. He started training camp by missing time with a mysterious foot ailment, dealt with frostbite in his feet, and now he has literally threatened to leave the NFL due to a helmet issue.

ESPN insider, Adam Schefter reported Friday afternoon that Brown had major issues with the new league-mandated helmets and that he was very upset about the changes. In fact, Brown reportedly told league officials that he will not play in the NFL any more if he can’t wear his old helmet.

Of course, this is Antonio Brown making the news, so the reactions were wild, to say the least. Let’s go through the list.

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While Antonio Brown may want to wear his own helmet during the season, will he really have a say in the matter? The answer is maybe. According to Schefter, Brown had a two-hour meeting with league officials on Friday to discuss the matter. An arbitrator will be making the decision, which could come as early as next week. Depending on the outcome, Brown could either rejoin his teammates in Oakland or he could be done with football altogether. 

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The news broken by Schefter on Friday was understandably surprising. After all, Brown is known as one of the hardest workers in the league and someone that adores football. Would he really walk away simply because of a helmet? According to more in-depth reports, he feels that the new helmet will actually limit his ability to catch passes. 

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With Brown being such a divisive personality, it was expected that the reactions would vary in tone. Some were serious discussions about his mental health while others were observations about HBO’s bank accounts. However, NFL reporter Dov Kleiman may have found the best humorous reaction with his reference to Spaceballs and Dark Helmet Man. Like Brown, Dark Helmet Man was very attached to his helmet. 

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One of the more bizarre aspects of Friday’s news is that Brown had many confrontations with team equipment managers over the use of his helmet. He apparently tried to sneak his old helmet onto the field on many different occasions but was stopped every single time. In fact, he even tried some subterfuge that involved painting his old helmet to resemble the new version. No pictures of the final product exist, but one fan on Twitter gave his best attempt at a recreation. 

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As Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports points out, Brown is attached to his helmet on a level that hasn’t been reached since Jack and Rose. Only in this instance, the hero of Titanic was trying to hold onto the love that he had discovered on the journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Brown is simply trying to wear his 10-year-old helmet during the 2019 season. Also, he’s in no danger of dying from this choice. 

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John McClain will never take his daily responsibilities for granted ever again. The longtime writer for The Houston Chronicle saw the thread developing about Brown on Friday, and he responded by counting his blessings. In recent years, he has covered DeAndre Hopkins, a wide receiver that has dealt with the worst quarterback carousel imaginable and has remained quietly professional even in the worst of times. McClain loves this approach to the NFL and will never take covering Hopkins for granted. 

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Jon Gruden will never live down his decisions to trade Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper in 2018. Losing his top pass rusher and top wide receiver due to being unable to pay their contract demands limited the Raiders statistically during a 4-12 season, but that wasn’t the only damage that was done. From here until eternity, Gruden will be tied to these moves, especially when the consequences from some of his other decisions are running amok on Twitter. 

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Time to put something in perspective – Brown is making $31 million guaranteed as part of the new three-year, $50.125 million deal he signed with the Raiders after his trade from Pittsburgh. There are some people that would be willing to wear any type of headwear during an NFL game for $31 million guaranteed, but Brown isn’t one of them. John Breech of CBS Sports would even rock the Davy Crockett look for that much money. 

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Rich Eisen, who has been the face of NFL Network since its inception, has some thoughts on the Antonio Brown helmet saga. If Brown does indeed step away from the NFL due to a disagreement about the type of helmet that he can wear, will he replace it with a different style of headwear? Eisen believes that the outfit from Brown’s appearance on The Masked Singer could be in play. Although that cap may be a bit difficult to catch passes in as well. 

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Well, this is an interesting reaction. Darren Carr is the head coach of Bakersfield Christian High School, but he is also one of Derek Carr’s brothers. He should have inside information as to what is happening within the Raiders facility. Friday afternoon, he tweeted out a very poignant quote from Tupac. Does Carr have some secret information about Brown? Is this situation being blown out of proportion? Only time will tell.