Antonio Brown drops video with Jon Gruden call as Raiders saga gets weirder

The Antonio Brown-Raiders saga keeps getting weirder.

Just when it appeared the star receiver’s confrontation with General Manager Mike Mayock and the threat of a suspension had been put behind them, Brown ensured he got the last word.

Brown posted a nearly two-minute, black–and-white video to his official YouTube account late Friday night after he reportedly delivered “an emotional apology the team” and the Raiders chose not to suspend the receiver for his tirade. Wednesday’s blow up, during which he reportedly called Mayock a “cracker,” happened because Brown was frustrated with the fines he received for missing a walkthrough and practice.

The video, which he said on Instagram was for him to “control my own narrative,” starts with Brown running on the field in his Raiders uniform and includes a recorded call between him and coach Jon Gruden playing in the background. It ends with Brown saying: “This is my life. Ain’t no more games.”

“Please stop this s–t and just play football,” Gruden said at one point on the video. “How hard is that? You’re a great football player. Just play football.”

Brown responded by saying: “I’m more than just a football player, man. I’m a real person. It ain’t about the football, I know I can do that. I show you guys that on the daily.”

The audio, along with music and clips of sports pundits being critical of Brown, played over images of Brown at home, with his kids and at Oakland Coliseum. Gruden was amused by the video and even thought it was “awesome”, according to ESPN.

Brown said in the video he is just “a villain all over the news” to which Gruden responded that he is not a villain, just “the most misunderstood f—ing human being in my entire life that I’ve even met.”

“I brought you here because you’re my favorite guy,” Gruden continued. “I’ve never seen a guy work harder.”

Gruden went on to ask Brown whether he wants to be a Raider or not.

“Man, I’ve been trying to be a Raider since day one,” Brown responded. “I’ve been f—ing working my ass off harder than anyone. I don’t know why it’s a question of me being a Raider. “It’s like, do you guys want me to be a Raider?”

Oakland obviously still does. Brown was fined an unspecified amount of money by the team because of his conduct and “he’s not happy” about it, according to ESPN. Despite that, Gruden said “the plan” is for Brown to play against the Broncos in the Raiders’ opener on Monday night.

Apparently, the Raiders’ captains went to Gruden’s office on Thursday and told him that they would be fine with whatever the team decided in terms of discipline. The dustup with Mayock had been the latest strike for Brown, who spent the preseason missing practices, grumbling because his old helmet model had been deemed unsafe, and getting frostbite on his feet from a cryochamber.

All before the mea culpa was delivered.

Drew Rosenhaus, the bombastic agent who represents Brown and has been trying to repair the relationship between his client and the team, told NFL Network: “I’m confident we can get back to doing all the right things that the Raiders signed him for.”

The fact remains the Raiders traded for Brown this offseason and increased his contract for the next three years to $50.125 million, with $30.125 million guaranteed. If he had been suspended, it was possible the contract could have been voided and he could have been waived.