On Sunday, Hunter wrote about how Raiders general manager Mike Mayock was fed up with the Antonio Brown drama, namely the bizarre helmet saga.
“Here’s the bottom line,” Mayock began. “He’s upset about the helmet issue. We have supported that. We appreciate that … At this point, we’ve pretty much exhausted all avenues of relief. So from our perspective, it’s time for him to be all in or all out. OK? So we’re hoping he’s back soon.
“We got 89 guys busting their tails. We are really excited about where this franchise is going, and we hope AB is going to be a big part of it, starting Week 1 against Denver. End of story. No questions. OK?”
We thought it would be a little fun to revisit Mayock's comments on The Dan Patrick Show shortly after acquiring Brown in March to see just how much Mayock has changed his tune.
On Brown's longevity: "People look at me and say, 'Well, Antonio Brown's going to be 31 years old,' and I'm like, 'Yeah, but dude, he travels with a nutritionist. He travels with his trainer.' I've never seen a guy that spends more time trying to make sure that he's going to play for seven, eight, nine more years. I thought the most telling comment he made in the press conference when he was asked about goals and ambitions outside of team goals, he said, 'I'd like to catch Jerry Rice.' And he believes it! And I love that he believes it. So, I don't think his age is contrary to what we're trying to do as far as building a young, powerful, tough football team."
On Brown's personality: "I look at the positive side of it. First of all, the connection between him and Jon Gruden was amazing. I mean, Jon's connection with players, they want to come play for (Gruden). It's unbelievable. The two of them giggling like little kids, watching clips of Antonio Brown in his office after we signed him was just priceless."
On Brown's work ethic: "As far as what happened in Pittsburgh, I mean, that thing fell apart in the last year. Sometimes those things happen. I saw nothing. I've seen him practice 10 or 15 times in my duties as a broadcaster in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, in 100-degree weather. Nobody practices harder. You can say what you want about who he is or what he is. All I know is he wants the football, and he practices harder than anybody. He's potentially a Hall of Fame wide receiver. And again, he kind of changes what we do on offense."
It didn't take very long for that to turn into, "all in or all out," did it?
Mayock's full appearance on the show can be heard here:
