Antonio Brown has caused so many problems in his first offseason with the Oakland Raiders that some wonder if his passion for playing football is gone, and one former player who knows what that is like believes it may be true for Brown.
Ryan Leaf, who is known for being one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history, said Thursday that he believes “all evidence” points to Brown not wanting to play football anymore. The former quarterback is under that impression because he acted the same way.
It just seems like @AB84 doesn’t want to play football anymore. All evidence points to that. I can completely relate to his behavior. I behaved the same way…playing the victim and I never had near his talent. Personal accountability is such an attribute. I hope he finds it soon
— Ryan D Leaf (@RyanDLeaf) September 5, 2019
Leaf, once a highly regarded prospect coming out of college at Washington State, went No. 2 overall to the Chargers in 1998. There was some debate over whether he should go No. 1 in that draft, but the Indianapolis Colts took Peyton Manning instead. Leaf lasted just four seasons in the NFL.
Brown’s behavior over the past several weeks has almost been surreal. It’s hard to believe any player could make so much out of not being allowed to wear a helmet that doesn’t meet safety standards, but Brown filed two grievances against the NFL over it. He then seemingly bragged this week that money was his motivation all along, which makes you wonder about his commitment to preparing for the upcoming season.
Now, Brown is facing a suspension after he publicly ripped the Raiders for fining him and had to be physically restrained from going after GM Mike Mayock during an argument at practice. If Brown is focused on playing football in 2019, he has an interesting way of showing it.
