For some reason, the NFL’s wide receivers seem to love Italian opera
Everything that comes from their mouths is “I,I,I, me, me, me, me.”
Terrell Owens. Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson. Odell Beckham Jr. And of course, the lovely and talented Antonio Brown.
Owens is in the Hall of Fame. Johnson was very productive. Beckham makes acrobatic plays but, like the other two, can drive teammates and coaches to the edge of distraction. Distraction is the worst word in the NFL.
Brown, who ran himself off the Pittsburgh Steelers roster and across the map to the Oakland Raiders, has already missed most of the team’s preseason practices with frostbite injuries to his feet (more about that later). But he’s also peeved at a new league-wide safety policy that prevents him from wearing his old helmet, a model no longer made by the manufacturer (Schutt) or approved for safety purposes.
Tom Brady was forced to switch helmets. He did so reluctantly, but he did so. Brown? He filed a grievance and an arbitrator ruled against him. Brown said on Instagram that he disagreed with the decision but was looking forward to getting back on the field.
It’s easy to believe, based on his behavior, that the old helmet did not protect his head well enough. The nine-year veteran has a three-year contract worth a bit more than $50 million, so the threat to retire seemed empty from the start. And the NFL’s adamancy about safer headwear, given all that has transpired, wasn’t going to be bent by one player.
If he won’t wear the new helmet at practice and in games, he can’t take part in either. He’s been complaining about this new rule and the new helmet – he says it obstructs his vision – since the spring. Now he says he will rejoin the Raiders when his feet, reportedly burned in cryotherapy, allow it. (We hinted at this bit of nuttiness earlier).
Erratic behavior isn’t particularly uncommon in the NFL. Pro football isn’t a game for normal people – every guy who plays will say that.
But they play. They practice and they play. They wear the uniforms they’re issued and use the equipment that’s approved. Safety in helmets has been an issue for years and now the league and the NFL Players Association are in accord on what is best, not that this is necessarily the world’s greatest confidence-builder.
Brown eventually will show up and do his job. He may do it brilliantly. But you will always wonder about him, the battles he has chosen to fight and how far he will go in the interest of self-satisfaction vs. team.
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman
-
Oklahoma and Texas will depart from the college sports conference at the end of the season. The Big 12...
-
Robert Kraft wants to re-sign Brady just long enough that he can retire as a Patriot. Earlier this week,...
-
The skilled third-baseman will be enshrined in Cooperstown. Scott Rolen is one of the most skilled and recognized third-basemen...
-
Brady’s 23rd football season has ended. On Monday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys went head-to-head for...
-
Smith has been fired after one season with the team. Over the weekend, the owners of the Houston Texans...
-
Pelé passed due to complications related to colon cancer. On Thursday night, the sporting world received unfortunate news: Pelé,...
-
His return heralded a victory over the Phoenix Suns. On Sunday, Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas needed to take...
-
Mayfield will be available on waiver to other NFL teams. After an underwhelming performance in his current role as...
-
Mike White led the team to a decisive victory over the Bears over the weekend. On Saturday, the New...
-
The game has been moved out of New York due to an encroaching snowstorm. This weekend, the Buffalo Bills...
-
Negative pushback prompted the team to give the role to someone else. Recently, the Brooklyn Nets have been in...
-
The Bears got Claypool in exchange for a 2023 second-round pick. This week, the Pittsburgh Steelers cut a deal...