The New England Patriots on Saturday signed Antonio Brown, arguably the best receiver in football. Brown Saturday morning forced his way off the Oakland Raiders after a bizarre stretch of behavior. ESPN was first to report Brown’s deal with the Patriots, which is for one year and $9 million.
Brown was traded from Pittsburgh to Oakland in the offseason. Since then, Brown injured his feet by not wearing proper footwear during cryotherapy, got into a highly publicized spat and refused to practice because of a dispute over what kind of helmet he’d use, and was suspended after getting into a heated confrontation with Oakland’s general manager.
Raiders coach Jon Gruden then said Brown would play, but the team fined Brown, which resulted in voiding $30 million in guaranteed money.
Brown on Friday night released a bewildering video purportedly of a private call between he and Raiders coach Jon Gruden, who was imploring his star receiver to get off the field.
Brown then posted on Instagram Saturday morning demanding the team release him, which they did.