Jon Gruden on Antonio Brown saga: 'I feel like somebody was smashing my temple'

Rob Lancaster

Jon Gruden on Antonio Brown saga: 'I feel like somebody was smashing my temple' image

Jon Gruden is ready to move on from the Antonio Brown saga in Oakland and wished the Patriots good luck with their new wide receiver.

Brown's tumultuous stint with the Raiders came to an end Saturday when he got his wish to be released by the team before ever playing a game.

It did not take the seven-time Pro Bowl pick long to find a new team, though. Brown on Monday signed with the Pats.

His former team was in action the same day, the Raiders opening their season with a 24-16 win over the Broncos.

Unsurprisingly, Gruden was asked about Brown during his postgame news conference, and he insisted he held no hard feeling toward Brown, 31, after giving it a "shot" during what turned out to be a turbulent preseason.

"I feel like somebody was smashing my temple on the side of the head," he told the media.

"Get over it, man. It's over. We were good this preseason without him. We were fine without him. We wish him the best.

"We gave it a shot. Now New England gets their turn. Good luck to them. I just can't deal with it anymore."

Having arrived in March in a trade with the Steelers, Brown suffered a cryotherapy-related injury, filed grievances against the NFL to be allowed to wear his favored helmet and also reportedly fell out with Raiders general manager Mike Mayock.

"What happened here the last couple of days may have been big news to some, but there were no distractions. You could tell that tonight — our team was ready to roll," Gruden said.

"I'm never going to bring it up again. That incident, or whatever you want to call it, had nothing to do with our team's focus or preparation. That's it — end of story."

Mayock, who didn't want to talk about Brown, and Raiders players appeared eager to turn the page.

"I wish him the best," quarterback Derek Carr told reporters (via NBC Sports Bay Area). "I hope he goes off, and gets everything he wants."

Tyrell Williams — who also joined the Raiders in the offseason — caught a touchdown pass from Carr against the Broncos, while rookie running back Josh Jacobs also ran for a pair of scores in the impressive Week 1 victory.

"I'm really happy for Tyrell Williams. Our receiving corps took a hit, obviously, this week. But Tyrell is capable of being a number one guy for us," Gruden said.

 

Rob Lancaster