Antonio Brown's Friday-night YouTube video featuring a phone call with Jon Gruden was supposed to be about the Raiders' season opener.
Alejandro Narciso, a Miami-based filmmaker, shot, produced and edited the video. He told ESPN's "The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz" on Monday that he met up with Brown in Oakland last Tuesday to shoot a hype video ahead of the Raiders kicking off the 2019 season against the Denver Broncos at the Oakland Coliseum against the Denver Broncos.
It's safe to say things took a turn last Wednesday.
"[At first] everything's good, and then goes to practice and then, you know, everything's bad," Narciso told Le Batard and Stugotz. "At that point, I'm confused and I'm like, 'What did I get myself in to?'"
Wednesday, of course, is when tension between Brown and the Raiders -- now his former team after he was released Saturday and subsequently signed by the Patriots -- began to escalate. Brown was none too pleased about the Raiders fining him for missing a practice and a walk-through, sharing his displeasure in an Instagram story and reportedly confronting general manager Mike Mayock at practice that day.
NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported Thursday that Brown threatened to punch Mayock in the face and telling the first-year GM to "fine him" for punting a football. ESPN's Josina Anderson reported, citing a Raiders source, that Brown called Mayock a "cracker" and before profusely swearing at him. Brown told ESPN's Dianna Russini last week that he didn't use the word, and Narciso said the same Monday, claiming that the confrontation wasn't as tense as reported.
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"Everyone just walked off, and then he went into meetings," Narciso claimed. "Nothing crazy happened."
Narciso said Brown went to the Raiders facility for an MRI, and the team told him not to come to practice that day. Brown eventually met with Gruden for dinner, telling Narciso afterward that everything was good between him and the Raiders. But when Narciso told Brown on Friday morning that a hype video was ready featuring the footage they shot, the four-time All-Pro receiver said to wait on posting the video.
When Narciso met with Brown after practice Friday, he said Brown's tone had changed.
"And then we pick him up, and he's like, 'Yeah, everything's not good.'" Narciso recalled to Le Batard and Stugotz. "'These guys don't seem to have my back. They kept saying welcome back even though I never left.'"
When the Raiders fined Brown again Friday night and voided the $29.125 million in guarantees in his contract, Narciso said the Silver and Black's relationship with the receiver became "irreparable."
Brown then posted the video in this context, but not before telling Narciso to edit it because it was "too positive" and reaching out to Gruden to ask for permission to use audio from a Friday night phone call. At some point before the video dropped, Narciso said Brown called Raiders owner Al Davis to formally ask for his release.
"He called the owner, it was a nice conversation," Narciso said of Brown. "He said, 'Look man, I just don't think this is gonna work out for either of us. I don't feel the love from you guys the way that you think you say you do, and I would appreciate it if you released me.' And the owner was like, 'OK, you know, I'm gonna do everything me in my power. I'm sorry this didn't work out.' And then at that point, AB was like, 'It's go time.'"
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The video posted Friday, and Brown asked the Raiders to release him the next morning in an Instagram post. ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Sunday that Brown worked with "social-media consultants" to "accelerate his release from the Raiders."
If Brown has any consultants, Narciso joked that he is not one of them.
"I was like, 'Social-media experts? I'm literally, like, a 25-year-old nothing," Narciso quipped. "No, AB posts what he wants. I'm not his consultant. I'm not like, 'AB, I got this guy off this team. You wanna hire me so I can get you off this team?' No!"
