Just when you thought the Antonio Brown saga could not get any more bizarre, it gets much, much more bizarre.
On Friday evening, Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown posted a video to YouTube titled, THIS IS MY LIFE, AIN’T NO MORE GAMES. That, in and of itself, doesn’t seem like all that big of a deal. What is absolutely a big deal, is that in the video, Brown plays clips of a phone conversation he had with Raiders head coach Jon Gruden.
The conversation goes like this:
Gruden: ‘What the hell is going on, man?’
Brown: ‘Just a villain all over the news, man.’
Gruden: ‘You’re not a villain. You’re the most misunderstood f*cking human being in my entire life that I’ve ever met. I mean, I brought you here because you’re my favorite guy. I’ve never seen a guy work harder.’
Gruden: ‘Please stop this sh*t and just play football. How hard is that? You’re a great football player. Just play football.’
Brown: ‘I’m more than just a football player, man.’
Watch:
The video was released hours after the Raiders announced that they had elected to fine Brown for his confrontation with General Manager Mike Mayock earlier in the week.
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported that a source told him Gruden heard himself on the recording, and thought it was “awesome.”
One has to believe that Gruden was aware he was being recorded. Or, at the very least, that he was told his words would be used in the video. As TMZ Sports points out, if the recording took place in California, there could be legal ramifications to airing the conversation without Gruden’s knowledge.
“Cali is a 2-party consent state,” TMZ Sports explained. “Which means both sides have to be aware if the convo is being recorded … or else it can be considered an illegal recording.”
Nonetheless, the fact that Gruden found the video to be “awesome,” likely means he will forego any possible legal action against Brown. In fact, at this point, the only action involving Brown that Gruden wants to see, is the kind of action that happens on the football field.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
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