Many had thoughts of Antonio Brown calming his behavior down once he got to the Oakland Raiders, I mean, he got exactly what he wanted in a trade away from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That hasn’t been the case as there has been controversy after controversy that involves him.
On Monday, the superstar WR extended his helmet dispute with the NFL by filing another grievance to the league to get a chance to wear the helmet he likes and not the new helmets all players have been given.
Brown thought he had found a loophole that would allow him to wear a newer model of the same helmet that is less than 10 years old, but that model also did not pass the league’s safety tests.
Via ESPN:
“Brown believed last week that he had found a suitable replacement — a helmet manufactured within the past 10 years — but it did not meet additional testing parameters. Because the replacement helmet had just been banned, Brown believes he is owed the same grace period that other players were given last season, when their helmets were tested and banned, a source told Schefter.”
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith called Brown an “absolute embarrassment.”
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
On Tuesday’s edition of ‘First Take, Smith argues that Brown’s behavior will ultimately have a negative effect on young wide receivers in the future.
“Let’s call it what it is. Antonio Brown is an absolute embarrassment. Just call it what it is. You don’t have to say it, I’ll go there.
It’s embarrassing to see what he’s doing. It’s embarrassing to see the lack of professionalism.
I’m not questioning his greatness, because this guy is one of the greatest receivers in the game today. And for the last six years, a minimum of 101 receptions for 1,284 yards. A minimum over each of the last six seasons. He’s absolutely spectacular as a talent – but with that talent has come an elevated level of arrogance, that as far as I’m concerned, is going to exact collateral damage against bodies far extending beyond him.”
He even went as far as to say NFL owners will point to Brown as a reason not to pay young black players.
“They’re going to use Antonio Brown. They’re going to look at his behavior and they’re going to say ‘see, this is the kind of stuff that we’re talking about.’ I’m not saying it’s going to be fair. I’m not saying it’s the right thing for owners to do. But the reality of the situation is that these are the kind of things that transpire.
…. I try to paint a picture, particularly for black Americans, about what the plight is. What the challenge is that you face when you go out into the real world. You know and I know it’s a constant uphill climb. In our community, we consistently talk about needing to be twice as good to get half as much, and all of these other things that are associated with [that] kind of terminology. And then you have somebody like Antonio Brown, who’s nothing short of greatness. And the second it’s validated via money, contract dollars, cachet, perceived or literal, or what have you. What does he do? He goes out and acts like this?”
….. When somebody messes up, to the rest of America: ‘That ain’t us. That’s you. That’s him.’ Everybody don’t act like that. Most folks don’t act like that. And so what happens is that when you’re in that kind of position, what they do is the powers that be utilize that behavior to stigmatize others who would never conduct themselves that way. No matter how cocky, arrogant, confident or whatever they are. That is the point, and that is the important point that needs to be made. You cannot do this kind of stuff.”
