Jon Gruden confirms Antonio Brown will play in Week 1

Antonio Brown and the Oakland Raiders are trying to make amends after an offseason filled with drama, and the star wide receiver will not be suspended by the team in the wake of his confrontation with GM Mike Mayock earlier this week.

Jon Gruden issued a brief statement before practice on Friday in which he said Brown is “ready to move on” and the team is excited to have him back. The Raiders coach also confirmed that Brown is expected to play on Monday night against the Denver Broncos.

Statement from #Raiders HC Jon Gruden: “Antonio is back today. We’re excited about that. Ready to move on.” Gruden says the plan is to have Antonio Brown play on Monday @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/UCq1n1JPUZ

— MJ Acosta (@MJAcostaTV) September 6, 2019

The past 24 hours in Oakland have been wild, to say the least. Numerous reports on Thursday indicated Brown would be suspended by the Raiders following a confrontation in which he said some offensive things to Mayock. However, the Pro Bowler delivered a heartfelt apology to the team on Friday morning, and it was apparently accepted.

Both sides should be motivated to put all of the offseason turmoil behind them, as the Raiders know their offense needs Brown and there was talk that Brown could have been at risk of having the guarantees in his contract voided. The question is whether or not Brown can stop creating distractions, which is something he has consistently done for several weeks now.

Brown’s outburst at Wednesday’s practice came after he publicly ripped the Raiders on Instagram for fining him over missed practice time during training camp. He missed the time due to his highly publicized feud with the NFL over which helmet he would be allowed to wear. Time will tell if the two sides are truly ready to move forward, as Gruden says.