The Raiders sent a well-coordinated shot across Antonio Brown's bow Sunday afternoon, after the superstar wide receiver left training camp frustrated over not being allowed to wear the helmet he wants.
Raiders general manager Mike Mayock issued an in-person statement to reporters on the scene in Napa, and within minutes, the team had video of it posted on its social media accounts.
Brown spends significant time on those popular platforms, so he undoubtedly heard the Raiders' frustration straight from Mayock's mouth.
The first-year GM made it clear that he wants to know if Brown is "all-in or all-out" after leaving camp frustrated that his preferred Schutt Air Advantage helmet failed a safety test and now is banned from use. Mayock said the Raiders have been supportive of Brown's quest to wear the helmet he wants but have "exhausted all options."
As of 10 p.m. PT Sunday, Brown hadn't responded to Mayock on social media through outright statements or cryptic posts. But his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, did so late Sunday in an appearance on WSVN-TV's "Sports Xtra," aired in the Miami market.
Antonio Brown's agent -- @RosenhausSports -- provides an update on where AB stands with the Raiders after GM Mike Mayock's comments today about Brown being "all in or all out." pic.twitter.com/VWOBfzPvwH— WSVN 7 Sports (@7SportsXtra) August 19, 2019
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Here's what he had to say, in its entirety.
"We have worked very closely with the Raiders, and will continue to work very closely with the Raiders," Rosenhaus said. "I'm not sure we agree that we've exhausted all the options, as Mike Mayock said, but there's no doubt it's still an ongoing process. We are trying to work with the team and the league and the union on a solution. We haven't figured that out yet.
"To say that AB is upset about the decision to not let him wear his helmet is accurate, but we're still processing it and figuring it out. I wouldn't make too much about him not being there today, as much as we're still trying to come up with a solution that works for everyone."
That was Rosenhaus' response to this statement from Mayock: "Antonio Brown is not here today, and here's the bottom line: He's upset about the helmet issue. We have supported that. We appreciate that. We have, at this point, exhausted all avenues of relief. From our perspective, it's time for him to be all-in or all-out.
"We're hoping he is back soon. We have 89 guys busting their tails. We are really excited about where this franchise is going, and we hope AB is going to be a big part of it starting Week 1 against Denver. End of story. No questions."
GM Mike Mayock issued a statement today regarding Antonio Brown. pic.twitter.com/5ueLsrOmid— Oakland Raiders (@Raiders) August 18, 2019
The Raiders formally break training camp Monday morning, and will conduct a practice at their Alameda training facility Tuesday. They are scheduled to leave Wednesday to play a Thursday preseason game against the Green Bay Packers in Winnipeg, Canada.
