Welcome back to today's episode of Helmets of Our Lives, starring Antonio Brown.
In case you missed any episodes this season, here's a quick recap to catch you up:
• The specific helmet Brown has worn throughout his entire career, a Schutt AiR Advantage, is no longer certified because it is older than 10 years. The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment does not certify equipment older than 10 years.
• Brown is given approved helmets to try. He doesn’t like them, saying they obstruct his vision.
• The Steelers, at the request of the Raiders, send Brown his old helmet. Brown has it painted in Raiders-esque colors and tries to sneak it onto the field in OTAs, gets caught, and is told to get rid of it.
• Brown has a two-hour conference call with the NFL during training camp to argue why he should wear the helmet he prefers instead of one the league requires.
• The NFL reiterates their stance on the helmet, and an arbitrator rules against Brown’s grievance.
• Brown tweets that he is looking for Schutt AiR Advantage helmets manufactured within the approved window of 2010 or later.
• Brown finds an AiR Advantage helmet within the approved 10-year window, and it fails the NFL's safety testing. Schutt stopped making the AiR Advantage eight years ago due to the type of foam used in the helmet.
• Raiders GM Mike Mayock acknowledges that Brown is upset about the helmet, and says that "it’s time for him to be all in or all out."
• Brown files a new grievance with the NFL over the helmet.
• Brown‘s agent Drew Rosenhaus says on Monday that Brown will be back soon, and explains why the helmet is such a big deal to him.
There you go, you're all caught up now.
Rosenhaus was right, because Brown showed up for the Raiders' practice on Tuesday and practiced in full with a new, certified helmet, according to coach Jon Gruden.
Brown wasn't wearing a helmet at all during the part of the practice that was open to the media:
Antonio Brown heads back to the field as the open portion of practice comes to a close for the media. No helmet on hand (or head). #Raiders @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/n8AfwJLTbS
— MJ Acosta (@MJAcostaTV) August 20, 2019
Once the media left the field, Brown returned with a helmet. He's reportedly switched to the Vengeance Z10, a different Schutt model. Reporters spotted Brown heading to the locker room after practice with the helmet in hand.
Antonio Brown walking to the locker room with a...well, you see it. pic.twitter.com/3wjVeARvOH
— Scott Bair (@BairNBCS) August 20, 2019
"It's good to have him back," Gruden told reporters. "He's in great shape and he's running good routes."
