One more case of a pampered professional athlete who doesn’t think he needs to follow the same rules as everyone else…
NFL Network reports that Oakland Raiders Antonio Brown posted a photo on social media Wednesday that took issue with a team fining him for missing practice and that he got into a heated altercation with the first-year general manager Mike Mayock, who signed the letter informing Brown of the fine.
Ian Rapoport of the Rap Sheet tweeted about the altercation, saying Brown threatened to hit Mayock in the face.
More on #Raiders WR Antonio Brown and Mike Mayock yesterday: It did not get physical, sources say. But after a screaming match, Brown told Mayock that he would hit him in the face and then punted the ball… and said, Fine me for that.
Rapoport added in another tweet that Mayock was irked by Brown’s decision to post a letter outlining the fine on Instagram with a caption that said:
“When your own team want to hate but there’s no stopping me now. Devil is a lie. Everyone got to pay this year so we clear.”
According to an ESPN-Brown also called Mayock a “cracker,” during the altercation.
On Wednesday, Brown initiated a discussion with Mayock midway through practice, resulting in the confrontation that had sparked the team’s impasse with the player, according to a team source.
A Raiders source confirmed Brown was unhappy with the fine levied by the team and, seeing Mayock watching practice, walked over and initiated an exchange with the GM. The Raiders source confirmed information from another league source who said Brown called Mayock a “cracker” and unleashed a barrage of “cuss words” during the altercation.
The team source said Mayock tried to keep his cool and defuse the situation.
“[Mayock] was like, ‘I’m cool, I understand your displeasure,'” the source said. “[Mayock] sort of just like … just walked away because he saw it escalate.”
The source stressed the confrontation escalated quickly, but it never appeared to be getting physical, and players, including linebacker Vontaze Burfict, attempted to separate Brown from the situation in order to calm him down.
That led to the team planning to suspend Brown, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Mayock told reporters that Brown was not at the facility Thursday and would not be practicing. He did not confirm or deny that Brown will be suspended.
In the letter, Mayock informed Brown that he was being fined $13,950 for missing a walk-through on Aug. 22, an unexcused absence. The letter also mentioned the team previously had fined Brown $40,000 for missing camp on Aug. 18 — the day the GM issued his ultimatum to Brown, saying, “It’s time for him to be all-in or all-out, OK?”
In real life, there wouldn’t be any discussion about whether or not you’d be fired for threatening to hit your boss and calling him a racist, derogatory name like “cracker.” Why are NFL players able to get away with acting like petulant kids while private citizens working in the real world are held accountable for their actions.
