Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

US House Passes Stablecoin Legislation, Sending Bill to Trump

4 hours ago

Man Admits to Killing Missing Bass Lake Resident, Madera County Authorities Say

6 hours ago

Trump Diagnosed With Vein Condition Causing Leg Swelling, White House Says

6 hours ago

US Strikes Destroyed Only One of Three Iranian Nuclear Sites, NBC News Reports

9 hours ago

US Seeks One-Day Sentence for Police Officer Convicted in Breonna Taylor Case

9 hours ago

Manhattan Prosecutor Who Handled Epstein Cases Is Fired

10 hours ago

Why California Ag Is at Odds Over Converting Land to Solar Farms

11 hours ago

7.3 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Alaska Coast. No Danger to California

1 day ago
Raiders Prepare for Opener vs. Broncos Without Brown
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
September 9, 2019

Share

OAKLAND — The Oakland Raiders once again head into a season opener having just cut ties with their most talented player.

“Well, I got to meet this guy. I got to meet Antonio.I never got to meet Khalil, so at least I got to meet a great player.” coach Jon Gruden
A year after dealing star pass rusher Khalil Mack to Chicago a week before the opener, the Raiders released disgruntled receiver Antonio Brown two days before opening the season against the Denver Broncos on Monday night.
Both moves were major gut punches to a franchise that has had one winning season the past 16 years and how heads into its final season in Oakland before a planned move to Las Vegas with little hope to be a contender.
“Well, I got to meet this guy. I got to meet Antonio,” coach Jon Gruden said. “I never got to meet Khalil, so at least I got to meet a great player.”
He just never got to see him on the field for a game.
The Raiders never recovered from the Mack trade a year ago, winning just four games and finishing with an NFL-low 13 sacks.
Brown’s absence figures to have a bigger impact on the Raiders in the opener because they spent all summer building an offense around him while Mack was a contract holdout last year.

Brown Signs One-Year Deal with Patriots

But after a tumultuous six-month tenure that included a bizarre foot injury that sidelined him for the beginning of training camp, a fight with the NFL over his helmet, a missed practice and walkthrough that led to fines, social media complaints, and then finally a run-in with Raiders general manager Mike Mayock that resulted in another fine and the voiding of $29 million in contract guarantees, Brown asked for and was granted his release on Saturday.
Just hours later, Brown agreed to a one-year deal with the New England Patriots as the Raiders moved on to prepare for their opener.
“It sucks that he’s not here, but he made that decision,” said receiver Tyrell Williams, who becomes Derek Carr’s top target in Brown’s absence. “We’re going to go out there and play hard and play well.”
The Raiders acquired Brown from Pittsburgh back in March for third and fifth-round draft picks and gave him a new three-year contract worth $50.125 million.
That seemed a small price to pay for a player whose 686 catches and 9,145 yards receiving since 2013 were the most ever for a receiver in a six-year span.
But it didn’t take long for the Raiders to see why the Steelers were so willing to part with the four-time All-Pro as his time in Oakland was filled with drama.

Raiders Downplay Any Distractions over Brown

“You can’t put much thought into it,” linebacker and captain Tahir Whitehead said. “He didn’t want to be here. We tried to support him, but at the end of the day, the rest of the guys were thinking team first. That’s the type of mentality you need. If you don’t possess that type of mentality then it’s not going to work out.”

“He didn’t want to be here. We tried to support him, but at the end of the day, the rest of the guys were thinking team first. That’s the type of mentality you need.” — linebacker and captain Tahir Whitehead
The Raiders maintain that the Brown summer-long saga didn’t serve as a distraction at all, even as the will-he-play or won’t-he-play question dominated the talk in the days leading up to the game.
They spent much of training camp with Brown absent either because of the frostbite in his feet suffered in a cryotherapy accident in France or over his frustration about the NFL not allowing him to wear his preferred helmet.
“AB is not tackling for us when we’re playing defense,” linebacker and captain Vontaze Burfict said. “Our job is to go out there and stop them from scoring. That’s all we have on our plate.”
The Broncos tried not to get too caught up in the drama surrounding Brown from the reports of a possible suspension on Thursday to his return to the team the following day to his release two days before the opener.
While his absence makes Denver’s job a bit easier, some of the defenders were also looking forward to the challenge of facing one of the game’s most dangerous receivers.
“I think it’s unfortunate they couldn’t get it right, whatever is going on over there,” cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said. “Definitely have been preparing for the competition all offseason and to this year. I wish everybody could’ve gotten a chance to see it.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Stephen Colbert’s Late-Night Show on CBS to End in May 2026

DON'T MISS

Former Los Banos Teacher Indicted on Federal Child Exploitation Charges

DON'T MISS

C for Chaos? Ashjian Kicked Off Measure C Committee

DON'T MISS

Israel Demands UN Scrap Investigation Body for Palestinian Territories

DON'T MISS

Trump Signs Executive Order Creating New Classification of Non-Career Federal Workers

DON'T MISS

Judge Rules Trump’s Firing of FTC Commissioner Was Illegal

DON'T MISS

US House Passes Stablecoin Legislation, Sending Bill to Trump

DON'T MISS

US Health Department Hands Over Medicaid Personal Data to ICE

DON'T MISS

Fresno Grass Fire Near Woodward Park Prompts Brief Evacuations

DON'T MISS

Behind the Masks: Who Are the People Rounding Up Immigrants in California?

UP NEXT

Wonderful Co. Has a New Face Promoting Pistachios: MVP Josh Allen

UP NEXT

Uber Named Official Rideshare, Delivery Partner for Los Angeles Games

UP NEXT

Trump to Attend Club World Cup Final, FIFA Opens Office in Trump Tower

UP NEXT

Houston Astros Donate $1M to Help Recovery From Texas Floods

UP NEXT

What’s Caitlin Clark Worth to the WNBA? A Lot More Than Her $78,066 Salary.

UP NEXT

Boxer Chavez Jr Expected to Be Deported to Mexico to Serve Sentence, Mexican President Says

UP NEXT

How Wimbledon Is Tackling Its Hottest Opening on Record

UP NEXT

Wonderdog Still Barking: Justin Wilson Thrives With Boston Red Sox

UP NEXT

Trump Administration Orders CA to Strip Trans Athlete of Medals

UP NEXT

Thunder Cap Incredible Season by Beating Pacers for NBA Title

Israel Demands UN Scrap Investigation Body for Palestinian Territories

2 hours ago

Trump Signs Executive Order Creating New Classification of Non-Career Federal Workers

3 hours ago

Judge Rules Trump’s Firing of FTC Commissioner Was Illegal

4 hours ago

US House Passes Stablecoin Legislation, Sending Bill to Trump

4 hours ago

US Health Department Hands Over Medicaid Personal Data to ICE

4 hours ago

Fresno Grass Fire Near Woodward Park Prompts Brief Evacuations

5 hours ago

Behind the Masks: Who Are the People Rounding Up Immigrants in California?

5 hours ago

Homeowners With Solar Rise Up to Defang Bill Authored by Former Utility Executive

5 hours ago

Man Admits to Killing Missing Bass Lake Resident, Madera County Authorities Say

6 hours ago

Trump Diagnosed With Vein Condition Causing Leg Swelling, White House Says

6 hours ago

Stephen Colbert’s Late-Night Show on CBS to End in May 2026

LOS ANGELES – “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on CBS will end in May 2026 after the upcoming broadcast season, the ne...

1 hour ago

Stephen Colbert arrives for the Saturday Night Live 50: The Anniversary Special at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, U.S., February 16, 2025. (Reuters File)
1 hour ago

Stephen Colbert’s Late-Night Show on CBS to End in May 2026

The crest of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is seen at their headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 10, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File photo
2 hours ago

Former Los Banos Teacher Indicted on Federal Child Exploitation Charges

2 hours ago

C for Chaos? Ashjian Kicked Off Measure C Committee

Flares fired by Israel Defense Forces light the sky above Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, July 17, 2025. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)
2 hours ago

Israel Demands UN Scrap Investigation Body for Palestinian Territories

President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2025. (Reuters File)
3 hours ago

Trump Signs Executive Order Creating New Classification of Non-Career Federal Workers

Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter testifies on the "Oversight of the Federal Trade Commission" before the U.S. Senate Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance and Data Security Subcommittee in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, U.S., November 27, 2018. (Reuters File)
4 hours ago

Judge Rules Trump’s Firing of FTC Commissioner Was Illegal

FILE PHOTO: A view shows the dome of the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
4 hours ago

US House Passes Stablecoin Legislation, Sending Bill to Trump

A view of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building, in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 27, 2025. (Reuters File)
4 hours ago

US Health Department Hands Over Medicaid Personal Data to ICE

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend