Report: NFL Superstar Antonio Brown Dodges Any Serious Punishment After Calling Raiders GM a 'Cracker'
Oakland Raiders star receiver Antonio Brown appears to have dodged any serious punishment after getting into it with his general manager and reportedly calling him a “cracker.”
The plan is for Brown to play Monday night against the Denver Broncos, Raiders coach Jon Gruden told reporters Friday, according to ESPN.
“That’s the plan,” Gruden said when asked if Brown would play. “That’s the plan, yes.”
“Antonio is back today,” Gruden said. “We’re really excited about that. Ready to move on. He’s had a lot of, obviously, time to think about things. We’re happy to have him back, and I know Raider Nation is excited about that, too.”
“We’re happy to have him back.”
Coach Gruden briefly addressed Antonio Brown’s status on Friday. pic.twitter.com/RHtEuIGSnM
— Oakland Raiders (@Raiders) September 6, 2019
As late as Thursday, it looked like Brown might miss Week 1.
An incident Wednesday between Brown and Oakland general manager Mike Mayock reportedly stemmed from a fine letter Brown had received from GM Mike Mayock.
“In the letter, Mayock informed Brown that he was being fined $13,950 for missing a walk-through on Aug. 22, an unexcused absence. The letter also mentions that the team previously had fined Brown $40,000 for missing camp on Aug. 18,” ESPN reported.
Brown was not happy and posted a picture of the letter to Instagram, writing, “When your own team want to hate but there’s no stopping me now devil is a lie. Everyone got to pay this year so we clear.”
Antonio Brown posts his displeasure with fines from #Raiders pic.twitter.com/0OMhdwFu7K
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) September 4, 2019
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport provided more insight into what went down during the exchange between Brown and Mayock.
Antonio Brown posted the fine letter on social media that Raiders’ GM Mike Mayock sent him. It led to an exchange, which is now leading to further discipline. This is not going away anytime soon.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 5, 2019
The exchange never devolved into an all-out fight, he said, but it got close.
More on #Raiders WR Antonio Brown and Mike Mayock yesterday: It did not get physical, sources say. But after a screaming match, Brown told Mayock that he would hit him in the face and then punted the ball… and said, Fine me for that. ???
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 5, 2019
More details came out Thursday, with ESPN and NBC Sports reporting that Brown, who is black, had called Mayock, who is white, a “cracker.”
Brown reportedly also unleashed a string of curses at Mayock, who kept his cool.
“[Mayock] was like, ‘I’m cool, I understand your displeasure,'” a source told ESPN. “[Mayock] sort of just, like … just walked away because he saw it escalate.”
On Friday, Brown publicly apologized for the altercation after issuing what ESPN characterized as “an emotional apology” during a team meeting.
“I want to apologize to my teammates, the organization,” he told reporters, per NBC. “Enough talk, man. I’m excited to be out here with my teammates, grateful for all the fans, and I’m excited to be part of the Raiders, and see you guys soon.”
However, he denied calling Mayock a “cracker.”
Antonio Brown told me there was never a scuffle at practice. He said he did not use the word “cracker” and would never use that word…Everything has been blown out of proportion”
“I spoke with Mike Mayock 1-on-1, man-to-man.”
#Raiders— Dianna (@diannaESPN) September 6, 2019
“I spoke with Mike Mayock one-on-one, man-to-man,” the wide receiver told ESPN’s Dianna Russini.
The 31-year-old receiver was traded to Oakland in the offseason following a nine-year stint in Pittsburgh.
Last year with the Steelers, he caught 104 passes for 1,297 yards and 15 touchdowns.
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