Antonio Brown was not with the Raiders on Sunday.
The 31-year-old wide receiver skipped practice because he continues to be unhappy about his ongoing dispute with the NFL over his helmet, Oakland general manager Mike Mayock revealed when he met with reporters.
“Here’s the bottom line,” Mayock said. “He’s upset about the helmet issue. We have supported that, we appreciate that. At this point, we’ve pretty much exhausted all avenues of relief. So, from our perspective it’s time for him to be all in or all out. We’re hoping he’s back soon."
The helmet Brown wore with the Steelers is no longer on the NFL's approved list. He lost an arbitration appeal to use the old model, and reportedly threatened to retire if he couldn't use the helmet.
The NFL and Brown had reached a compromise which would have allowed him to use the helmet model he likes if he could find one made within the past 10 years. But, the league reversed that decision earlier Sunday after the helmet went through additional testing, according to ProFootballTalk.
The Raiders acquired Brown from the Steelers in March in exchange for draft picks. He caught 74 touchdown passes and made seven Pro Bowls during his nine seasons with Pittsburgh.
"We’ve got 89 guys busting their tails," Mayock said. "We’re really excited about where this franchise is going and we hope A.B. is going to be a big part of it, starting Week 1 against Denver. End of story."
GM Mike Mayock issued a statement today regarding Antonio Brown. pic.twitter.com/5ueLsrOmid
— Oakland Raiders (@Raiders) August 18, 2019
Mayock declined to take questions from the media Sunday. Brown has also dealt with frostbitten feet, an injury caused by a cryotherapy equipment mishap, in training camp.
The Raiders have two preseason games remaining before they host the Broncos in Week 1 action Sept. 9.