Antonio Brown used to be the “ideal” football player.
He appeared to be a great teammate, he was active in his community, he appeared to be respectful, and he was one of the best in the league at his position.
Over the last couple of years, though, that all changed.
Brown was seen watching videos and playing on his phone during team meetings.
Suddenly, Brown has become a “me” person in a sport that demands everyone to be a “we” person.
After several years of squabbles with the Pittsburgh coaching staff, Brown was moved to Oakland for a fresh start.
The Not So Fresh, Fresh Start
Oakland was supposed to be a team that could be built around Brown, with Brown serving as one of the team leaders.
From day one, though, that was not the case.
Brown got into a dispute with team management because he did not like the new helmets mandated by the league.
He had also undergone cryotherapy in the offseason, which resulted in frostbite on one of his feet, causing him to miss practice.
While coach Gruden defended Brown, GM Mike Mayock was not so understanding of the constant issues Brown was bringing to the team.
Mayock reportedly told Brown he needed to be all in or all out, period.
All of this reportedly came to a head earlier this week when Brown got a laundry list of fines for missing meetings, lateness, etc.
He reportedly told another teammate he would address the issues with Mayock the next day, which he did.
On Wednesday, Brown got in the face of Mayock.
By all reports, Mayock did his best to defuse the situation, but Brown was heated and, in the exchange, Brown reportedly called Mayock a “cracker,” an obvious racial slur against white people.
Why Does He Still Have a Job?
There is only one question that needs to be answered right now… why is Antonio Brown still employed by the Raiders?
Not only that, but why are the Raiders not even disciplining him for his actions?
According to the most recent ESPN report, Gruden has stated that Brown is going to play on Monday.
While that may change as outrage over the non-discipline starts to come at Oakland, as of now, Brown is a go for Monday night.
NBA owner Donald Sterling was banned from the NBA for life for using a racial slur in a private conversation in his home with his wife.
The stories of high-profile broadcasters and entertainers that have lost their job or that were suspended for using racial slurs, sometimes unintentionally, is endless.
So, in a country that is trying to put an end to racism, why is a black player allowed to call a white team executive a “cracker” without discipline?
Just turn the situation around and does anyone really think Mayock would have a job today if he had used the “N” word against Brown during that argument?
Of course not, and he shouldn’t, but that same bar needs to be in place for Brown.
The Oakland Raiders are acting this way for one reason and one reason only… Brown is a star player.
You can bet your bottom dollar that if Brown were a third-string wideout, he would have been released on the spot.
By making this exception, though, the Raiders have set a new standard within their organization, if not throughout the league. It is okay to be racist as long as you are a star player.
I don’t care what type of apology Brown gave or offers in the future, his true self came out in the heat of the moment… and the Raiders allowed it.
Mike Mayock is gutless, John Gruden is gutless, the Raiders are an organization are gutless, and if the Roger Goodell and the NFL as a whole do not step in and do something about this, the entire league is gutless.
Sources: Fox News / ESPN / NBC Sports – Pro Football Talk
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