It seems like Antonio Brown got cold feet after hearing the verdict on his helmet.
When the All-Pro receiver threatened to retire from football completely if he wasn't allowed to wear his old helmet, the news set the NFL on fire. The problem was Brown's favorite helmet is more than 10 years old and therefore cannot be certified as safe by the National Operating Committee for Standards and Athletic Equipment. Brown pushed the issue in a way never before seen, which included attempting to sneak his original helmet onto the practice field on multiple occasions -- driving an early wedge between himself and the Oakland Raiders in the process.
After then filing a formal grievance against the NFL and seeing his hopes ended by an arbitrator, Brown took to his beloved social media to announce he had instead accepted a verdict that was mostly inevitable anyway, and was looking forward to rejoining the Raiders after a taking a hiatus from the facility.
That reunion is reportedly set to occur on Tuesday, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, with Brown expected to return to Napa for training camp. Given who the player is we're speaking about, until it happens, it hasn't happened. If it does, though, that's one chapter closed in a Brown saga that also includes the issue of his feet.
There still remains no timeline on when the 31-year-old will return to the field after entering a cryotherapy chamber with improper footwear, leading to severe frostbite on the bottom of his feet. Brown has seen at least one foot specialist already, and unpleasant images posted on his Instagram account revealed just how damaged the soles of his feet truly are. This means even as everyone attempts to move forward from HelmetGate, which includes repairing relationships with coaches and players Brown has been around only a few months, the training staff can't do much about Brown's feet outside of providing necessary treatments and waiting for them to fully heal.
The problem is, again, no one knows when that will be.
Whenever that time comes, Brown will take the field with a helmet exception granted by the NFL, and although it's not the outcome he wanted -- it is a compromise.
The betrothed headwear so married to Brown's sensibilities is the Schutt AiR Advantage, and the NFL will reportedly allow him to wear the model if he can locate one that isn't more than 10 years old. The problem for Brown is Schutt stopped making that model in 2011, putting the onus on him to locate an eight-year-old helmet that is also in pristine enough condition to pass the NFL's stringent equipment guidelines. If he ever does successfully sneak his old helmet onto the field, the Raiders will be subject to punishment from the league.
It's all the latest in what's been a windy road for Brown since his recent days with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and there's no sign his stint with the Raiders will be any less tumultuous. Whether it's by hot air balloon, car or swinging vine, the Raiders simply want him back in the building after giving up a third- and fifth-round pick to land his services this offseason.
