Raiders release disgruntled WR Brown

The Oakland Raiders abruptly released wide receiver Antonio Brown on Saturday, just two days before the team's season opener against the Denver Broncos. The move capped a tumultuous week in Oakland and came just hours after the wide receiver posted a message to Instagram on Saturday morning that ended with "Release me @raiders".

"You are gonna piss a lot of people off when you start doing what's best for you," the message begins. "And that's fine! I have worked my whole life to prove that the system is blind to see talent like mines. Now that everyone sees it, they want me to conform to that same system that failed me all those years." "I'm not mad at anyone. I'm just asking for the freedom to prove them all wrong. Release me @raiders. #NOMore #theyputblindersonahorseforareason #NoMoreFake."

He becomes a free agent as of 4:01 p.m. ET on Saturday. He is free to sign with any team and would be eligible to play in Week 2. Agent Drew Rosenhaus, speaking on NFL Network, said he will get to work on finding a new team.

"It's been well-documented that it's been a rocky road from the beginning. Unfortunately, not all relationships between players and teams work out. ... Everybody had the best intentions going in but it didn't pan out." He continued: "We're going to have to see what the market is. When you're a free agent, it's not always what you expect. It's what the market is. Of course, my job as an agent is to always get the best contracts for my clients. That's no different here."

Brown's release came less than 24 hours after Raiders coach Jon Gruden said he expected Brown to play in Monday's season opener. Brown was fined $215,000 on Friday for a confrontation with Raiders general manager Mike Mayock on Wednesday. The conduct fine voided the approximately $30 million of guarantees in his contract, while the Raiders also reportedly would not be obligated to give him any termination pay.

The Raiders acquired Brown in a trade-in March, sending third- and fifth-round draft picks to Pittsburgh. They then signed him to a three-year, $50.125 million restructured contract extension. According to multiple reports, the Raiders have yet to pay Brown any money. Spotrac, which tracks players' salaries and bonuses, points out that Brown already missed out on a $500,000 bonus for not attending at least 85 percent of the offseason program and would be due to no money or have any salary cap impact if he were cut before the Week 1 game.

"No way I play after they took [his guaranteed money] and made my contract week to week," Brown wrote to ESPN's Jeff Darlington in an email Saturday. There has been plenty of drama around Brown since he joined the Raiders.

In the most recent episode, Brown and Mayock had to be physically separated during a testy exchange on Wednesday, ESPN and NFL Network reported, leading to Brown opening a team meeting on Friday morning with what was dubbed an "emotional apology." Per ESPN's Josina Anderson, Brown confronted Mayock over being fined almost $54,000 and called Mayock a "cracker" and addressed him with a number of "cuss words" during the altercation. Anderson reported Mayock began to walk away because he felt the situation would escalate.

Brown told ESPN's Dianna Russini that he did not call Mayock a "cracker" during their Wednesday altercation. Brown told Russini he would "never use that word." Brown, 31, initially had been expected to be suspended by the Raiders for conduct detrimental to the team and miss at least the Week 1 game.

Later Friday, Brown posted a video to his YouTube channel that appears to contain the audio of a phone call he had with Gruden, reportedly earlier this week while Brown's status with the team was in flux. The video lasts nearly two minutes and in it, Gruden asks Brown, "What the hell is going on, man?" "Just a villain all over the news, man," Brown replies.

"You're not a villain," Gruden then says back. "You're just, you're the most misunderstood (expletive) human being in my entire life that I've ever met." "Do you want to be a Raider or not," Gruden later asks, to which Brown replies, "Man I've been trying to be a Raider since Day 1."

Brown also missed time due to a frostbite-like condition on his feet, an incident Gruden said wasn't Brown's fault but stemmed from improper protection on his feet during cryotherapy. Then he sat out during a dispute with the NFL over his helmet, returning only after losing two grievances.

 

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)