Raiders GM: Antonio Brown must move past helmet issue and be ‘all-in or all-out’

It appears the Oakland Raiders are approaching a breaking point in the ongoing fracas involving Antonio Brown and his helmet.

Speaking to reporters at training camp Sunday, Raiders general manager Mike Mayock made it clear the team wants the wide receiver to move on from his quest to play with an outdated helmet and join his teammates on the field.

“We all know that A.B. is not here today, right? So here’s the bottom line: He’s upset about the helmet issue. We have supported that, we appreciate that. But 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. So we’re hoping he’s back soon. We’ve got 89 guys busting their tails. We are really excited about where this franchise is going, and we hope A.B. is going to be a big part of it, starting Week 1 against Denver. End of story. No questions.”

Brown has threatened to sit out if he doesn’t get to wear the Schutt AiR Advantage helmet he has worn his entire career. Since the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment only certifies helmets made in the past 10 years, Brown’s helmet was deemed illegal by the NFL.

After losing his grievance against the NFL, Brown was hoping to exploit a potential loophole in the rules by using a Schutt AiR Advantage helmet made in the past 10 years, but the league closed that loophole, Pro Football Talk reported Saturday.

This has left Brown with really no other options outside of potentially challenging the NFL in court. The Raiders understand this and want the mercurial seven-time Pro Bowl player to rejoin the team as soon as possible.

It remains to be seen whether Brown will be on the practice field Monday or whether this is enough for him to consider walking away from the game.