Antonio Brown's Latest Drama Leads Twitter To Decide Receiver Will End Up On Patriots
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Even for the drama magnet that is Antonio Brown, the news of Thursday was a bit extreme.
The highly talented-yet-headache-inducing wide receiver is reportedly on thin ice with his employer, after getting into an altercation of sorts with Oakland Raiders general manager Mike Mayock on Wednesday. As the reports go, Brown did not appreciate being fined for missing a practice and a walkthrough, and the Raiders didn't appreciate Brown taking that displeasure public. As a result, Brown and Mayock had their "meeting," with Brown reportedly held back by teammates to prevent things from getting violent.
Yikes.
In the short term, it looks like Brown may be suspended for the Raiders' Week 1 game against Denver on Monday night. Long term, it's possible that Brown may never actually play for the Raiders, the team that traded a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick to acquire Brown (after he skipped his final game with the Steelers and after he broadcast his coach's postgame speech live on Facebook, etc., etc.).
And because of that reality, football pundits and fans immediately concluded that ... ooooooooobbbbbbbbbbviously Brown will not only join the Patriots but will probably dominate the league and win a Super Bowl or two.
A sampling:
Antonio Brown's plot to end up with the Patriots is pure genius.
— Frank Isola (@TheFrankIsola) September 5, 2019
Hate to say this but im afraid this is how this all turns out..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 5, 2019
Raiders are gonna cut AB.. get their money back... then Bill Belichick is gonna swoope in and WHAMMY. @AB84's a Patriot doing things the Patriot Way out of nowhere. pic.twitter.com/sK6orRGVKr
It's going to be hilarious when the Patriots sign Antonio Brown to the league minimum after his inevitable release from the Raiders and win the Super Bowl again.
— James Kratch (@JamesKratch) September 5, 2019
Antonio Brown will bomb out on the Raiders just like Randy Moss did. Then there will be this whole contrition tour after the Patriots inevitably sign him, and then he'll have 38 TD catches the next season.
— Scott Stump (@Scott_Stump) September 5, 2019
So how soon is Antonio Brown a New England Patriot? pic.twitter.com/lENTvW9vF4
— Garret Price (@DynastyPrice) September 5, 2019
If Antonio Brown doesn't grow up he's going to end up playing WR for the Patriots.
— McNeil (@Reflog_18) September 5, 2019
Have we had the first tweet yet about the Patriots picking up a freshly axed Antonio Brown?
— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) September 5, 2019
So Antonio Brown is gonna end up on the Patriots right?
— Playoff Shippy (@ShippySpins) September 5, 2019
I just had a vision where this all ends with Antonio Brown winning Super Bowl LIV MVP with the Patriots
— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) September 5, 2019
What's the over/under @AB84 gets traded to the patriots for a 6 or 7th round pick... pic.twitter.com/dBfJVbxhPs
— Miguel Lozada (@MLozada) September 5, 2019
Antonio Brown taking a seat in the Patriots locker room in approximately 2 weeks after being released by Oakland pic.twitter.com/ZPYm029Q17
— Brodinator (@bconaty14) September 5, 2019
Antonio Brown is about to be traded to the Patriots for a 2047 conditional 7th round pick and a game worn Steve Grogan jersey.
— Anthony Marino (@AnthMarino) September 5, 2019
If the Patriots somehow end up with Antonio Brown pic.twitter.com/6h2s2yI9pP
— Arrowhead Live (@ArrowheadLive) September 5, 2019
Bill Belichick watching and waiting during all the Antonio Brown drama: pic.twitter.com/ve9rELRxw4
— 929ESPN (@929espn) September 5, 2019
Bill Belichick listening to all the Antonio Brown rumors pic.twitter.com/m55Acaz4SH
— Hot Takes and Sausage (@takes_sausage) September 5, 2019
Not a conspiracy guy but maybe ... This is all a deep state ploy by Belichick/Brown. Hey dude, act crazy, get cut and come join the Pats. Pats get him for next to nothing. Genius ????????
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) September 5, 2019
The emotions behind those tweets run the gamut, from lighthearted, to dread-filled, to humorous, to fearful, and everything in between. And while it's a funny thought ... it's not going to happen.
Yes, Randy Moss left the Raiders looking like damaged goods, only to be acquired for a fourth-round pick by the Patriots, where he promptly set an NFL record for most touchdown receptions in a season. Yes, Belichick has shown that he does not care one single iota about a player's past issues in other places. Yes, the Patriots have succeeded at times in such situations.
But this one? This one's unique. While the situation may be comical from the perspective of looking at the Raiders like a billion-dollar clown show, Brown might actually be going through some real issues. From the frostbitten feet to the persecution complex on the helmet change to the public complaints for getting fined for skipping practice, it's not exactly clear what's going on with the 31-year-old ... but it doesn't appear to be something that can be magically fixed overnight with the snap of a finger and the sound of Belichick's whistle on a dreary Foxboro practice field.
Brown seemingly got exactly what he wanted when he forced his way out of Pittsburgh last year, and yet, the end result is ... this. Rectifying Brown's situation may be beyond the abilities of even The Great And Mighty Belichick.