Antonio Brown, the Oakland Raider’s All-Pro wide receiver, has again flamed
controversy for his erratic behavior over the NFL offseason. On his new squad, Brown
missed several days of training camp without communicating with or receiving
permission from team officials. Part of the wide receiver absence has been caused by a
case of frostbitten feet. Brown reportedly failed to use proper equipment in a cryotherapy
chamber in Paris while vacationing, leading him to mysteriously disappear from practice
in early August in order to seek private treatment rather than team doctors. After
returning to training camp, Brown again went missing later that month for an extended
period due to his misgivings over new NFL helmet safety rules. New league-wide health
regulations prohibited Brown from wearing a specific model of helmet which he had
worn his entire career. In response, Brown accused the NFL of biased enforcement of the
rule, appealed the league’s decision, and threatened to retire, all while refusing to
communicate with Raiders officials.
“When [Brown] first conflicted with the new helmet regulations, I somewhat emphasized
with him because he had used his old helmet for his whole career and believed that the
old helmet design was best for his performance,” Leo Park (12) said. “However, his
recent tendency of not showing up to practice makes me feel that he is overreacting and is
harming the people near him, such as his teammates. In addition, I think the frostbite
incident was not his fault, but was still caused by his irresponsibility, for an athlete must
take full responsibility in caring for his or her own body.”
The talented veteran, who was traded in March from the Pittsburgh Steelers, has a history
of questionable behavior. On his previous team, Brown created headlines by publicly
criticizing teammates and coaches. In addition, Brown refused to practice on multiple
occasions during the 2018-19 season. By failing to report to team facilities for an entire
week leading up to a key, late-season game with playoff implications, Brown was
benched for the match. This incident reportedly increased hostilities between the receiver
and his former squad. The Pro Bowler also expressed reservations about teammate JuJu
Smith-Schuster being named the Steeler’s 2018-19 team MVP, leading to Brown
demanding a trade over the offseason.
“To be honest, I’m not surprised with Antonio Brown’s actions recently,” Eddie Choe
(11) said. “It has been normal for him to complain about a lot of things. It isn’t easy to
make him satisfied because he has something to say about everything that doesn’t go his
way. In my opinion, he’s a baby.”

Antonio Brown’s absence from practice has loomed over the Raider’s offseason. Brown
is a premier talent on the field and has been consistently ranked in the top 10 in the
NFL’s annual Top 100 Players list voted by the athletes. However, his off-the-field antics
have frustrated Oakland coaches and officials. The receiver has also missed valuable
practice time to adjust to his new team and quarterback. Brown will need to overcome his
self-imposed shortened offseason to develop strong chemistry with his new ball
thrower, Derek Carr, who is the only starting quarterback Brown has played with besides
Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“If I was his coach, I would be telling him to keep his mouth shut,” said Tyge Shelby,
Physical Education teacher. “It’s fine to have an issue with the helmet, but that can all
stay in house. It doesn’t have to be on the front page of espn.com. When you are on a
team all the conversation should be about the team and not the individual.”