Former NFL star Antonio Brown attacked Tom Brady on Twitter last week, making the Buccaneers quarterback the latest in a long string of targets Brown has criticized since his unceremonious exit from the team last season. Trainer Alex Guerrero was also mentioned in another tweet that has since been deleted.

Since partially disrobing and leaving the field during a game against the New York Jets last season, Brown has reignited public concerns about his mental health in a series of increasingly alarming messages online.

His tirade against Brady is particularly suspect, as Brown would not have gotten a second chance in the NFL if not for the quarterback’s vocal support within the team and with the press at the time of his signing.

This is the primary issue with Brown’s conduct; there doesn’t seem to be a sensible approach to any of it. Following a litany of misconduct violations, suspensions, sexual assault investigations, altercations with teammates, excessive absences as a member of the Raiders, multiple retirement announcements, an ill-fated career in music and a friendship with fellow troubled star Kanye West, Brown’s story is as upsetting to summarize as it is bewildering and condemning.

Messages on social media that were once bizarre now sound like white noise as his antics, sometimes harmlessly odd but other times damaging in nature, become the norm for a clearly troubled individual.

When he was the best receiver in the NFL, sexual assault allegations were shocking because football fans knew little more than what they saw on the field. Now, barely coherent attacks against Brady and others on social media merely confirm what is already understood.

Many people, including Brady, have expressed support for Brown while calling for the former player to receive help.

But though Brown was once forced to attend anger management courses and a psychiatric evaluation after assaulting a moving truck driver in Florida, it’s difficult to observe any improvement in Brown’s behavior since the extent of his conduct was made public several years ago.

While some view Brown as a threat while others consider him little more than a meme, an image he only exacerbated in a disastrous Rolling Loud performance last month, the problem is that Brown shows no signs of improving and maintains a massive platform to advertise his aggressive and sometimes violent mindset. Brown has 10.8 million followers on Instagram alone and another 1.8 million on Twitter.

At this point, it’s highly doubtful that Brown’s years-long tirade will end with online criticism of Brady and a Bucs trainer on Twitter. His conduct in the past has been more outrageous and abhorrent and is likely going to escalate again in the future.

Though most punishments for his behavior thus far have been minimal, the fear of more severe punishment will not dissuade him and may not even occur to him. In a perverse way, through clicks, airtime and yes, lines in print, the reward of attention may prevent him from ever comprehending the extent of the damage he’s inflicting — on himself and others.

The NFL revealed Wednesday that former head coach Jon Gruden sent inappropriate emails throughout his tenure with the Oakland Raiders. Gruden is suing the NFL and accusing the league of fabricating a campaign to fire him.

Gruden’s conduct over email between 2010 and 2018 came to light in October 2021, but the NFL is now alleging that his behavior persisted during his tenure in Oakland.

Gruden’s 2021 resignation came in the wake of a league investigation for workplace misconduct. League officials found that Gruden used homophobic, racist and misogynistic language in emails as the coach of the Washington Football Team.

These emails were leaked to the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Though the revelation led Gruden to step down soon after signing to be the Raiders’ head coach, he has since sued the NFL for targeting him unfairly in the investigation and creating a situation necessitating a “forced resignation.”

The NFL’s decision to now reveal Gruden’s emails in Oakland appears to be an attempt by the league to dissuade the former coach from pursuing further legal action.

A judge denied the league’s motion to dismiss the case in June. The NFL’s new findings also challenge Gruden’s timeline of events, as the coach claims that much of the NFL’s investigation applied to years in which he was working as an ESPN employee.

League attorneys have consistently argued that officials have the right to punish misconduct within organizations, but Gruden has argued that the NFL’s treatment led directly to the destruction of his career and assassination of his character.

Though the NFL investigated 650,000 emails within the Washington organization between 2010 and 2018, only Gruden has been punished for communications sent in that span.

Dan Snyder, another target of the investigation, continues to own the team now known as the Washington Commanders despite testifying before Congress for harassment claims last month.

As the league continues to pursue options to avoid a trial, Gruden’s time as an NFL coach has become increasingly public. Many of the phrases he used in emails, which he has admitted to sending, have not been read in court due to their inappropriate nature.

On Monday, the Canadian Football League announced that they signed former Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant to a one-year deal.

Bryant, who turned 29 in December, has been out of the NFL since December 14, 2018. On that day, the NFL released a statement explaining Bryant’s suspension: “Effective immediately, Martavis Bryant has been returned to the Reserve/Commissioner Suspended list for violating the terms of his April 2017 conditional reinstatement under the Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse.”

Since Bryant remains suspended indefinitely, he moved to the Canadian Football League to continue his career. Bryant will be joining many other former NFL players in the CFL at the wide receiver position, including Dres Anderson, Keyarris Garret, and Vince Mayle.

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While Bryant had potential, unfortunately, that potential was never reached in the NFL. Bryant was repeatedly suspended by the league for substance abuse issues. Before he was suspended indefinitely in 2018, he was suspended three times over the course of four seasons. One of these suspensions included the entire season of 2016 after multiple policy violations.

A product of Clemson, Bryant was drafted No. 118 by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Bryant played a total of 36 games with the Steelers, which includes 16 starts. During those games, he caught 126 passes for 1,917 yards and 17 touchdowns.

The Steelers tried not to give up on Bryant, however, the Raiders offered them a third-round pick, and Bryant found himself in Oakland. During his time with the Raiders, Bryant only played eight games, including two starts before hitting injured reserve with a knee injury.

Over the entirety of his NFL career, Bryant has 145 receptions for 2,183 yards and 17 touchdowns.

In what is perhaps the most Jon Gruden thing that Gruden has ever done, it has been reported that while the team was on a Zoom call  the coach got the Raiders’ special teams’ coach to tell the players that he was in the hospital with a serious illness caused by COVID-19. This ended up not being true, and Gruden was apparently doing it to put a scare into his players and teach them that the virus can affect anyone and that they are not immune.

On his Instagram account Wednesday, NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown blasted the NFL calling for them to wrap up an investigation they were conducting into the sexual assault allegations levied against him by Brown’s former trainer late last year. In his post, Brown said, “I have been seeing the therapist you asked me to, I have worked on all aspects of my life this past year and have become a better man because of it. The fact that you refuse to provide a deadline and the reason for the fact you won’t resolve your investigations is completely unacceptable.” He continued by adding, “I demand you provide me clarity on this situation immediately if you really care about my wellbeing.”

While nothing that Brown has done in the past two years as made much sense to anyone it seems that he is even confusing himself since these demands come two days after Brown announced his retirement from football on his Twitter account. Whether or not the NFL complies with, or even responds to, these demands seem to be moot. I doubt that after all the run-ins he has had with law enforcement and the teams that he has worn his welcome out with almost impossibly fast, that a team would still take a chance on him. Never say never though. With the NFL’s track record of not caring what you’ve done as long as you produce, I wouldn’t say that it is impossible that someone as talented as Brown finds another job, but it looks like since he has no bridges left to burn in the league he is just lighting himself on fire.

The XFL season is in full-swing, but most football pundits have their eyes glued to the NFL’s free agency. Free agents like Amari Cooper and Drew Brees will be on the free agent wire this offseason, but the real question on everyone’s minds revolves around where Tom Brady will end up.

Mostly every sports fan knew that Brady’s contact with the Patriots would end this season. He’s been the starter in Foxborough since 2001, so at one point it was almost safe to assume that  Brady would spend his whole career there. However, Brady is a free agent and that’s not going to stop teams from chasing down the legendary, six-time winning Super Bowl champion. The Las Vegas Raiders have been rumored to offer Brady a two-year, $60 million deal, if he chooses to accept.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW 

If Brady joins Vegas’ roster, he will be joining a 7-9 team that has missed the playoffs for three consecutive years. For reference, Brady only missed one playoff, and that was his sophomore season back in 2002. It’s worth noting that the NFL does not have ‘max-contact’ options, like the NBA. Therefore, Las Vegas and other teams can open their bank accounts to the 42 year-old. Las Vegas and other teams will be allowed to talk to free agents on March 18.

New England fans and players have all chipped in their ‘two cents’ about where Brady should end up going. Surprise, they want him to stay in New England!

Julian Edelman may even seem too excited to see his best buddy and all-star quarterback play another year in New England. The pair were seen at a Syracuse Orange basketball game on February 29.

Antonio Brown has been granted a workout with the New Orleans Saints, hinting at his possible return to the NFL. The controversial, yet most prolific wide receiver of this decade has sent waves through the league with his unsavory behavior at various clubs.

A career in Pittsburgh with the Steelers from 2013-18 gave him a reputation as a great wide out throughout the entire league. But after forcing his way out, his tumultuous 2019 began.

After Pittsburgh, he was traded to the Oakland Raiders for third- and fifth- round picks. After signing over a $50 million dollar contract with the Raiders, he was released from the team in September after a confrontation with GM Mike Mayock.

He then signed with the New England Patriots, some thinking coach Bill Belichick could straighten him out. After playing one game, where he added a touchdown with four catches, sexual misconduct allegations emerged resulting in his release from New England.

If he signs with any team, Brown is likely to be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, meaning he cannot partake in practice or games, but can attend meetings, individual workouts, therapy and other non-football activities permitted by the team.

The league has conducted its own investigation into the allegations against Brown and are doing their due diligence in the matter, as are the Saints.

The Saints are sitting roughly as the third seed in the NFC, holding a 12-3 record. With a player like Brown added to the roster, this team would prove to be somewhat of a dangerous group entering the playoffs.

Brown, who hasn’t played in the NFL since his release from New England, still has a long way to go before he takes the field, but this workout with the Saints provides hope that we may see the great wide receiver take the field again.

The next time the Raiders play a home game it will be at a brand new, domed stadium with natural grass right off the Las Vegas Strip. Allegiant Stadium is set to house 65,000 fans and will serve as the new home for the Raiders.

The Oakland Raiders played their last home game at RingCentral Coliseum, losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a last-minute 20-16 loss. As quarterback Derek Carr jogged off the field, the crowd’s dismay was evident as trash was thrown and boos were echoed from the 52,788 fan-filled stadium.

When asked about being booed off the field, Carr said, “Oh gosh. What’s new with our crowd? Whenever we don’t win, that’s going to happen. Trust me, it’s not under my skin. It’s nothing.”

The loss officially eliminated the Raiders from the AFC playoff race as they dropped their fourth straight game, falling to 6-8.

Carr was 22 of 36 for 267 yards and a touchdown. Running back Josh Jacobs had 24 carries for 89 yards and tight end Darren Waller had 122 yards on 8 receptions. Oakland had a dominant first half going up 16-3 through the second.

But Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew II and his teammates had other plans. With two touchdown passes in the final 5:15 of the game, the Jaguars squeezed out the upsetting loss for Oakland.

Minshew was 17 of 29 with 201 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Leonard Fournette had just 42 yards on 15 carries and wide receiver Keelan Cole had 76 yards on three receptions.

What started as a unique tailgating experience pregame and an electric first half of the game, turned to chaos quickly as trash began to rain down on the field and at one point the head referee pleading with the crowd to stop pointing laser-pointers at players.

SLIDESHOW: 50 GREAT SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019

Raiders coach Jon Gruden said after, “I’d like to say I wish we could have sent the Raiders fans off with a lot better finish than that. I think, most importantly, before we talk about the game, is I would like to thank the fans. I would like to thank the city of Oakland for supporting the Raiders and being faithful, and I’ll miss them.”

And the city of Oakland, despite the ill-feelings yesterday, will miss their beloved Raiders as well.

The score was close, but the play seemed lopsided Thursday night as the Oakland Raiders beat the L.A. Chargers 26-24.

Although neither Philip Rivers nor Derek Carr were particularly impressive for a sustained period of time besides some nice passes, the game went down to the final minutes due to some great defense. Carr ended up with an unimpressive 218 yards to Rivers’ 207. But the difference was the turnovers: Carr zero, Rivers three.

Rivers was picked early on twice, once in the opening drive by Erik Harris (who would go on to for another one that led to a pick-six). The Raiders can claim a team victory on this one with Carr protecting the ball an a single touchdown throw, kicker Daniel Carson going for eight points, rookie running back Joshua Jacobs scoring one and Harris with a touchdown.

Chargers were down 17-20 with four minutes to go when Rivers passed to Austin Ekeler in the red zone to make it 24-20. The Raiders had one final chance after that, which Carr took full advantage of. Credit the coaching staff as well, Carr threw the ball for first downs 10 to 12 yards at a time to go all the way across the field to the 18 yard line. No doubt San Diego expected another throw, Oakland instead handed the ball to Jacobs who ran almost straight ahead for the final touchdown. Jacobs ran for 71 yards, but that last drive drew up his fantasy value.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW 

The Chargers were indeed outplayed as they rushed Rivers five times to go with the three picks; which makes me question why the score was so close.

We will see in the coming weeks if the Chargers can pick up steam as they play the Pat Mahomes-less Kansas City Chiefs (who have split games without him) and get close to above .500, while the Raiders next face the win-less Cincinnati Bengals at 0-8.

Raiders Bengals on Sunday night and the Chiefs versus Chargers on Monday Night. Football.

In the Oakland Raiders’ win last week over the Detroit Lions, defensive end Arden Key suffered a broken foot. He has now been ruled out for the rest of the season.

Key will seek a second opinion, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.

Though not a starter for the Raiders this year, Key has certainly been impactful on the defensive side of the ball. In his rookie season for the Raiders last year, Key started ten games but only managed to record one sack. After a rigorous offseason, however, Key has really proven himself to the 4-4 Raiders, recording a sack in each of his last two games.

“I got a little stronger, which helps with the bull rush, and now that’s my [baseline] move,” Key said during training camp when asked about his offseason improvements. “So much of the credit goes to Buck (defensive line coach Brentson Buckner). I’m really starting to use my hands now. Last year, I didn’t use hands at all. I was using my shoulder and a lot of forearm. If I can use my hands to keep guys off me, I can make moves and use my bend and length and things of that sort.”

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW 

After winning a measly four games last season, the Raiders have already matched last year’s total with their 4-4 record. On the other hand, the team had only amassed 15 sacks up until recently, so Key’s production was vital to the defensive unit.

In his absence, the Raiders will rely on defensive ends Clelin Ferrell — a first-round draft pick this year (No. 4 overall) — and Benson Mayowa, who currently leads the team with 5.5 sacks so far.

The Raiders, with Jon Gruden back at the helm for his first season in a decade, will certainly miss the former LSU standout as they host the 4-5 Los Angeles Chargers next weekend.

Hall of Fame Oakland Raiders cornerback Willie Brown died on Tuesday. He was 78.

No cause of death was immediately given for the cornerback, although Brown had been suffering from cancer.

Brown led the Raiders to their first Super Bowl title in January 1977 after making a brilliant play in the contest against the Minnesota Vikings. Brown intercepted a pass from QB Fran Tarkenton and ran for a touchdown to make the score 32-0. The five-time first-team All-Pro cornerback — who played 12 seasons in Oakland — retired with the Raiders two seasons later and was ultimately inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984. Before his tenure in Oakland, Brown played four seasons with the Denver Broncos, who signed him as an undrafted player out of Louisiana’s Grambling State in 1963.

In addition to his time as a player, Brown also served as an assistant coach for the Raiders from 1979 to 1988 and rejoined the franchise as director of staff development in 1995. He was also a coach at Long Beach Sate in 1991.

Pro Football Hall of Fame President David Baker paid tribute to Brown in a statement shared with local Oakland television station KTVU.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW 

“The entire Hall of Fame family mourns the loss of a great man,” Baker said in the statement. “Willie Brown was the epitome of the Raiders motto of ‘commitment to excellence’ that was integral to the team’s sustained success. He embodied virtues like passion, integrity, perseverance and always led by example. His character, on and off the field, made all those around him better.”

The Raiders, including quarterback Derek Carr, also shared their sentiments on the legend’s passing:

The Green Bay Packers finally put it all together in an impressive performance against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. The Packers dropped 42 points on Oakland thanks to five touchdown passes from Aaron Rodgers to secure a 42-24 victory in a game riddled with more officiating problems.

Green Bay has now won their third straight without top receiver Davante Adams. At 6-1 under new head coach Matt LaFleur, the Packers have looked much better than they have in the past three years and are now fighting for NFC seeding rather than a wild-card spot.

Rodgers’ top four receivers were a fifth-round draft pick, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and three undrafted players: Geronimo Allison, Jake Kumerow and Allen Lazard, Despite the not-so-star-studded corps, Rodgers completed 25 of 31 passes for 429 yards and six touchdowns, one of which he scored with his legs. The veteran QB earned a perfect passer rating.

The Packers defense worked on a “bend-don’t-break” mentality that kept the game out of reach for the Raiders. On two different drives, the Raiders were stopped inside the Packers’ five-yard line that got them no points, despite being on the precipice of the end-zone.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW 

The officials were still an issue in this game, as several penalties committed on both sides were questionable at best. Both teams were beneficiaries of some awful play-calling, even though it felt like the Raiders got the short end of the stick in that regard. There were multiple pass interference calls that looked nonsensical and touchdowns where the receiver stepped out of bounds on the route, which means these passes should have been called incomplete. However, these calls didn’t get overturned.

The 6-1 Packers will take on the 5-2 Kansas City Chiefs away from home on Oct. 27. Meanwhile, the 3-3  Raiders will fly to NRG Stadium in a bout against the 4-3 Houston Texans on Oct. 27.

For the first time ever, the NFL this week suspended a player for the rest of the season due to a dirty hit on the field: Oakland Raiders linebacker Vontaze Burfict. 

In a recent matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, Burfict initiated a blatant helmet-to-helmet hit against tight end Jack Doyle, which resulted in an immediate ejection from the game for unnecessary roughness. Despite his absence, the Raiders ended up winning 31-24.

The Oakland Raiders linebacker was not only suspended for the remained of the year: he will also forfeit $1.16 million dollars in salary. However, this is not the first time Burfict has had to pay for his dirty hits on the field.

Burfict’s headhunting history goes back to his college football days where, despite his talent, his dirty play led him to be undrafted out of Arizona State. 

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW 

Burfict also previously received three-game suspensions in both the 2016 and 2017 NFL seasons for dirty headhunting hits while playing for the Cincinnati Bengals.

The NFL clearly factored in the linebacker’s history and saw that he had not learned from his mistakes or prior suspensions. Thus, the league felt the need to send him to the sidelines for the entire year instead.

In a public statement, the NFL elaborated:

“Vontaze Burfict of the Oakland Raiders has been suspended without pay for the remainder of the 2019 season, as well as any postseason games, for repeated violations of unnecessary roughness rules, including in Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts. 

“NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan issued the suspension for a violation of Rule 12, Article 10, which states that: ‘It is a foul if a player lowers his head to initiate and make contact with his helmet against an opponent.’ 

“In his letter to Burfict, Runyan wrote: ‘There were no mitigating circumstances on this play. Your contact was unnecessary, flagrant and should have been avoided. For your actions, you were penalized and disqualified from the game. Following each of your previous rule violations, you were warned by me and each of the jointly-appointed appeal officers that future violations would result in escalated accountability measures. However, you have continued to flagrantly abuse rules designed to protect yourself and your opponents from unnecessary risk.’

“Under the collective bargaining agreement, the suspension may be appealed within three business days. Appeals are heard and decided by either Derrick Brooks or James Thrash, the officers jointly appointed and compensated by the NFL and NFLPA to decide appeals of on-field player discipline.”

Will Burfict be able to turn it around next season and remedy his dirty hits or will this pattern of behavior continue to plague the various teams he has played for?

Gifted former NFL linebacker Neiron Ball passed away of a brain condition on Monday. He was 27.

Ball was first diagnosed with the brain condition, arteriovenous malformation (AVM), while he played for the University of Florida in 2011. That year, Ball went to the coaching staff complaining that he had trouble walking. When his AVM was discovered, doctors told him that vessels crucial to his heart and brain were tangled, had ruptured and were leaking blood down his spine. Ball was held out for a year after doctors performed a surgical procedure to repair the blood vessels. He made a comeback the following year and played so well that he went on to be selected in the fifth round of the NFL draft. Doctors originally stated that the condition would not return.

Ball had a promising but short career with the Oakland Raiders before being waived due to a knee injury. He rose to the starting linebacker position shortly after his rookie campaign.

AVM affects the veins that carry blood back from the brain to the heart. As arteries carry oxygen-rich blood to the brain, veins carry the oxygen-depleted blood back to the heart. With AVM, those veins become tangled and rupture, making it hard to return the blood back.

IN MEMORIAM: SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019 TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

Ball was able to return to football because statistics show that only four out of 100 people will experience a hemorrhage from AVM. Out of those cases of AVM, 15 to 20 percent of hemorrhages lead to death or a stroke and 30 percent of people losing mobility.

Last September, a brain aneurysm landed Ball at Emory Hospital in Georgia, where the doctors put him in a medically induced coma. The former linebacker’s family announced that he had come out of the coma and was now a paraplegic. Ball’s sister was caring for him in his hometown of Jackson, Georgia, where he had been a standout High School sprinter and jumper. Ball was then able to communicate with his mouth and eyes.

A GoFundMe page initially raised over $130,000 for uncovered medical bills for Ball.

There have been more plot twists in the Antonio Brown–Oakland Raiders saga over the past few days than in any television series.

In less than one week, Brown has gone from incidents involving helmets and no-shows — incidents that escalated to the level of public spats with his general manager — to getting released by the Raiders and thus losing a guaranteed $30 million, to signing with the New England Patriots. This development is also interesting because unlike the Raiders, the Patriots are set to go deep into the playoffs.

The last three or so years have been a steady uphill climb for the Raiders until last year, when the team went through a coaching restructuring, by hiring Super Bowl-winning coach Jon Gruden and going back to the drawing board. Whichever way they were projected to go next year, the Patriots were to exceed that as heavy favorites to reach the Super Bowl again this year. Brown has now improved his situation by signing a one-year, $15 million contract with the Pats that includes a $9 million signing bonus.

Due to the rules, the wide receiver was not be eligible to play Sunday in the Pats’ season-opening 33-3 thrashing of the Steelers, the team that traded him to the Raiders at the beginning of the year. That’s three playoff-bound teams in less than six months.

IN MEMORIAM: SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019 TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

The Patriots have a history of taking troubled players in and creating success stories out of them, like safety Patrick Chung, who was recently charged with cocaine possession. New England was also in desperate need of playmaking last year. This year, there is a chance they could be staked for quarterback Tom Brady, especially with Julian Edelman and Phillip Dorsett, five-time Pro Bowler Demaryus Thomas and off-troubled superstar Josh Gordon coming back from suspension. Now, the reigning Super Bowl champs will have Brown as well.

From locker room issues to GM issues, Brown might have forced his way into a championship ring.

Now, the Raiders have a vacancy at the receiver position — possibly for the rest of the season.

The Oakland Raiders are kicking off the NFL season on the wrong foot with one of their new stars: wide receiver Antonio Brown.

Raiders general manager Mike Mayock sent Brown a personal letter this week warning of more fines and other penalties if his behavior continued after the wideout reportedly missed other practices and team activities during camp and preseason.

Brown responded by sharing the letter on Twitter with a quote.

“When your own team want to hate but there’s no stopping me now devil is a lie,” Brown added to the post of the letter, which he shared on his Instagram story. “Everyone got to pay this year so we clear.”

With Oakland’s season opener set for this Sunday, it looks like the Raiders might suspend their number one passing option. Apparently, Mayock and Brown had a confrontation about posting the letter, which led to Brown threatening to punch Mayock and then kicking a ball before stating, “Fine me for that.” Brown was then sent home.

IN MEMORIAM: SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019 TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

The letter from Mayock references two other incidents, both of which seem to be a bit murky. The team claims that Brown missed mandatory practices. Mayock also mentioned in an interview Brown’s disapproval of not being allowed to use his helmet, a possible reason why the receiver missed so many practices. In another incident, Brown stated he had cryotherapy and frostbite, going as far as posting pictures of severe peeling at the bottom of his feet.

Regarding the other fines, Brown claims to have been present at the practices, yet the team claims he only attended parts of the training. Even before the preseason, he had become involved in arguments with the NFL over a helmet he refused to give up, even though it had been banned for months. Eventually, Brown settled for a new helmet that came close to what he liked, after taking the challenge to social media to find him a suitable one.

This is not new to Brown’s tenure in Oakland. Reports from Pittsburgh show that he has been fined for uniform mishaps there as well. He was also fined for excessive celebration when scoring touchdowns on multiple occasions with the Steelers.

Although Brown is an elite wide receiver in his prime, speculation as to why he was traded by the Steelers arise. An incident that led to locker room distrust has been suggested, as Brown secretly recorded Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin giving a profanity-laced speech in 2017.

The Raiders open the season with or without Brown on Sunday against the Denver Broncos at 10:20 p.m. EST.

Fans who closely watched Thursday night’s NFL preseason game between the Green Bay Packers and the Oakland Raiders may have likely noticed something peculiar and still be marveling over it: the field was 20 yards short.

The Raiders beat the Packers 22 to 21. The matchup was held at Investors Group Field (IG Field) in Winnipeg, Canada. Pre-game started with discussions over a hole in the field that was patched up before the contest. As those talks were taking place, another concern arose regarding the uprights, as they appeared to be in the middle of the end-zone. On NFL fields, pylons are usually placed outside the end-zones. Officials and coaches feared that this would pose dangers for players. Although both teams had scheduled time for some of their starters, including the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers, both teams decided to sit most of their first string players due to fears of injuries.

Both teams decided to put pylons as end-zone markers at the 10-yard line, a move that decreased the playing field by 20 yards. Because of this, there were no kick-offs. Instead, each team received the ball at the 10-yard line (equal to the regular 20-yard line).

IN MEMORIAM: SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019 TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

Comments on news and social media outlets scrutinized the NFL for an apparent lack of preparation in vetting IG Field before the Thursday Night Football game. Neither team seemed to share the sentiment, including Raiders head coach Jon Gruden, who did not have much to say on the subject and appeared to take it all in stride.

“The field, I don’t know that was all about,” Gruden said via NBC Sport Bay Area. “We thought the field was perfectly fine.”

IG Field — which is home to multiple teams like the Manitoba’s CFL and CPL teams and the University of Manitoba — has a capacity of just over 33,000 and has been marred by controversy since before it opened. The field has suffered delays, financial problems and structural issues, which were included in a lawsuit owners filed against the builders. In the suit, owners cited, “water damage caused by insufficient drainage in the building,” as well as “inadequate insulation and extensive cracking in the concrete among a total of 42 deficiencies.”

Antonio Brown is facing a civil lawsuit that claims the Oakland Raiders receiver failed to pay a $38,000 chef’s bill.

Stefano Tedeschi, who is nicknamed “The Sports Chef,” alleges in the suit he filed in Florida on July 30 that Brown stiffed him on the bill during Pro Bowl festivities in 2018. Brown reportedly rented a mansion in the Orlando area and hired Tedeschi to cook for him and almost 59 teammates and other guests.

According to ESPN, Tedeschi claimed that the agreement was wrongfully terminated, that he wasn’t permitted to obtain his equipment back and that he was never given an official reason for why he was not paid.

“I’ve cooked for countless NFL superstars and celebrities,” Tedeschi said. “Never once have I had one problem [until this]. My food is so good, and my mannerisms in someone’s home is second to none.”

Tedeschi has cooked for Drew Brees, Jameis Winston and Larry Fitzgerald, among other NFL stars.

The chef added Brown offered to pay him via social media advertising.

IN MEMORIAM: SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019 TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

Brown’s lawyer told ESPN, “We expect to be filing a motion to dismiss the complaint and will let the filing speak for itself.”

The Raiders wideout, who previously played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, is facing two other lawsuits after he allegedly threw items off a 14th-floor balcony in Florida in April 2018 and nearly hit a 2-year-old boy by doing so. Both lawsuits were reportedly for damages exceeding $15,000, per ESPN.

Brown was also allegedly involved in a domestic dispute in Florida in January, although no charges were filed against him. The Raiders receiver recently suffered foot blisters that prevented him from attending practice. However, he returned to training camp on Tuesday following a nearly two-week absence.

The former three-time Super Bowl champion and Oakland Raiders legend, Cliff Branch, died of natural causes last weekend in a hotel room in Arizona.

Branch was a receiver for the Raiders, and was a key piece of their former glory years of the late 1970s and early 80s. Fred Biletnikoff partnered with Branch on the receiving end to help Ken Stabler, the popular Raiders quarterback. The trio, along with the dominant offensive line the Raiders were equipped with, ran the AFC West for five years.

According to investigators in Arizona, Branch died from natural causes, but no official information has been released for the cause of death. Police found his body in Bullhead City, Arizona, around 3:40 local time. The Mohave County Medical Examine have his body now, and more information will be released. His 71st birthday was two days prior to him passing away on Saturday.

“When you were across from him, there was fear there,” said Ronnie Lott, a former San Francisco 49ers and Raiders safety, in a video dedicated to Branch.

“He changed the way the game, and the way the game was played as a wide receiver,” said Mel Blount, the Hall of Famer Pittsburgh Steelers corner, who went up against Branch multiple times.  “People started going out looking for speed, and looking for guys like Cliff Branch.”

Branch was a flashy receiver with jaw-dropping ability. He finished his pro career with over 500 catches for 8,685 yards, an average of 17.3 yards per reception. He finished in the end-zone category with 67 total touchdowns. He was a Hall of Fame semifinalist in 2004 and 2010, but was never truly enshrined. He leaves behind a strong legacy with the NFL and the Raiders organization.

IN MEMORIAM: SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019 TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

Former major athletes in the NFL went to social media to honor Branch. Including the legend Tim Brown, who said on Twitter, “my heart is broken hearing the news of Cliff Branch passing! A few years back we shared the stage for the induction into the CAHOF. It’s a moment now even more special #Rip21.” 

The National Football League is returning to London this season, with four games set to be played between Wembley Stadium and the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

GET TICKETS FOR THE NFL IN LONDON HERE! 

The list of teams set to play this year in London includes the Chicago Bears, the Oakland Raiders, the Carolina Panthers, the Houston Texans, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Cincinnati Bengals and the defending NFC champion Los Angeles Rams.

Since making its debut in 2007, the NFL International Series has raised the popularity of the NFL in Great Britain tremendously. Annually, 13 million people watch the Super Bowl in Britain alone. Twenty-six out of the 32 NFL teams have played at least one game in England since the International Series began, exemplifying just how committed the NFL is to the grow their global brand abroad across not just Britain, but Europe and other continents across the globe as well.

IN MEMORIAM: SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019 TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

The first of the four London matchups will feature the Bears vs. the Raiders. The Raiders, in their second season of the new Jon Gruden era, have added a plethora of new talent, including Antonio Brown and Vontaze Burfict. On the other side, led by Khalil Mack and Mitch Trubisky, the Bears were a field goal away from knocking off the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles in last year’s NFL Playoffs.

Another interesting matchup in London this upcoming season will feature the Carolina Panthers against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Led by Luke Kuechly and Cam Newton, the Panthers got off to an impressive start last season but flamed out over the second half of the campaign. On the other side, the Buccaneers made major changes this offseason beginning with the hiring of Bruce Arians at head coach.

Here is the list of NFL games set to be played in London this season:

SUNDAY, OCT. 6
Chicago Bears vs Oakland Raiders NFL London
6:00 PM – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England, GB
from
£155
Only 1 ticket left at lowest price

SUNDAY, OCT. 13
Carolina Panthers vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL London
2:30 PM – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England, GB
from £106

SUNDAY, OCT. 27
Cincinnati Bengals vs Los Angeles Rams NFL London
5:00 PM – Wembley Stadium, London, LND, GB
from £74

SUNDAY, NOV. 3
Houston Texans vs Jacksonville Jaguars NFL London
2:30 PM – Wembley Stadium, London, LND, GB
from £76