During his NFL career, Antonio Brown had many ups and downs, and at one point he played for the Oakland Raiders. In the 2019 offseason, Brown was traded from the Steelers to the Raiders, with the Steelers receiving a third-round and fifth-round pick in exchange.
According to Maxx Crosby, despite being traded to the team, Antonio Brown never actually played a game for the Oakland Raiders. This was because he was released from the team before the season began due to his troublesome behavior. Brown himself requested to be released on September 7, 2019.
Even though he was initially viewed positively by All-Pro Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, the team soon realized that Brown’s disruptive antics were too much of a distraction in the locker room.
Maxx Crosby said via Yervakin clips on YouTube:
“We signed AB, Richie, Vontaze Burfict they were all on our team. AB as a person like us, if he sat here with us right now, you genuinely like it just us in the room. No cameras, nothing, you would love AB, but the second he left the building bro you didn’t know what the f–k is about to happen.
“He came in, he burned his feet off and then he had the helmet shit. So he was never practicing. He never was around offseason. We’re like, ‘What the f–k is going on?’ He would show up here and there but like he came up bro, all the captains went up there. He walked up on the stage he apologized. So we’re like, ‘Okay, he’s about to play like fuck yeah, AB’s on board now.'”
Antonio Brown requested to be released from the Raiders on September 7, 2019, and the team granted his request. Following his release, Brown posted a viral video online in which he celebrated the news.
Antonio Brown’s release from the Raiders was a result of his problematic behavior. First, he shared a picture on Instagram of his feet, which were severely blistered from cryotherapy. Next, he voiced his desire to wear the same helmet he used while playing for the Steelers and even threatened to retire if he couldn’t use it.
Things escalated when he had a dispute with the team’s general manager, Mike Mayock, and called him a derogatory term. As a consequence of his actions, the Raiders fined Brown $215,000.
