Antonio Brown is put to match up for the Oakland Raiders on Monday night when he was hung over by a danger of suspension, to end.
The wide receiver has been through a preseason that included a bizarre foot accident brought on by a threat along with a machine to give up the NFL due to a row over a helmet he wanted to wear that the league deemed dangerous.
Those problems reached a head earlier this week, with reports asserting Raiders and Brown general manager Mike Mayock became embroiled in an altercation which threatened to acquire physical.
The row blew up after Mayock issued Brown with a letter confirming substantial penalties for lost practice sessions while solving his helmet problems – Brown subsequently posted the letter on Instagram using the words”in case your own team need to despise” printed across it.
During the incident, Brown was alleged to have stated to Mayock”I will hit you in the face” and then punted a local ball off, adding”fine me for that”.
Reports surfaced later on Thursday that the Raiders would suspend Brown, at least because of their Week 1 date using the Denver Broncos.
However, amid additional claims that Brown had issued an”mental apology” for his role in the Mayock row,” Raiders head coach Jon Gruden confirmed on Friday that the 31-year-old would be available for Oakland’s season opener.
Gruden said:”I do not actually have a prepared statement but I’ll just say Antonio is back now. We’re very excited about that and ready to proceed.
“He has had a whole lot of time to think about things and we are pleased to get him back. I know Raider Nation is excited about this too.”
When asked if he would play on Monday night, Gruden included:”That’s the strategy, that’s the plan, yes.”