Mike Florio immediately debunks $30 million Antonio Brown story – “Tried to hustle the Raiders”
Antonio Brown recently appeared on the "It Needed To Be Said" podcast, hosted by Tyreek Hill and Julius Collins. He was asked about several different topics, to which he unsurprisingly answered with some controversial stories.
One of the many things he discussed was his infamous exit following his short and rocky stay with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The former NFL wide receiver went on to explain that he worked out a deal with Raiders owner Mark Davis to secure his exit from the team. Brown suggested he was doing them a favor by agreeing to be released prior to Week 1, saving them $30 million that he would have been owed per his contract.
While this sounds like an honorable move by Antonio Brown, NFL insider Mike Florio quickly debunked the story. He explained how Brown's account of the way it all went down is quite misleading, if not completely untrue.
Here's what Florio had to say about it in a recent article for Pro Football Talk:
"First, the Raiders had voided the guarantees before the issue of cutting Brown even came up ... the Raiders had yanked the $30 million based on Brown’s misbehavior throughout training camp and the preseason. Indeed, Brown first started agitating for his outright release after the guarantees were wiped out.
"Second, as to the idea that the Raiders would have owed Brown his full salary if he was on the Week One active roster, the Raiders also had informed him that he had waived his right to termination pay ... a CBA-secured right for any player with four or more years of service.
"Third, if Brown meant he was simply giving up his right to pursue payments the Raiders had already taken from him in exchange for his release, he overlooked one key fact. Brown STILL FILED A GRIEVANCE against the Raiders in an effort to get the $30 million.
"So, to summarize, Brown told Davis he didn’t need to hustle the Raiders. And then he tried to hustle the Raiders. He tried to get the $30 million, after he was released."
It may not come as much of a surprise to some that Antonio Brown has spun the story. He has used similarly controversial behavior when discussing his relationship with Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger, as well as his eventual exits from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
What was Antonio Brown's side of the story regarding his Raiders exit?
According to Antonio Brown, he approached Mark Davis in a good-will effort to construct his release in the most beneficial way possible for both of them. He claims to have proposed the idea of releasing him as soon as possible to get him out of a situation he didn't want to be in, while saving the Raiders a ton of money.
Here's how Brown described his exit on "It Needed To Be Said:"
“As a honorable man, I told him, ‘Like, yo, I don’t want to be a Raider.’ Save him his money ... I handle business respectably.
"So I got to the Raiders, and I’m like, ‘Yo, Mark, I love everything about it here. I love money, but it’s not championship culture, it’s not the environment I want to be in. I love you, I appreciate the $30 million, but I already got 30. Not to be arrogant, but I got it. I don’t need to hustle you.’”
While this sounds like the "right thing to do" by Antonio Brown, it's likely to backfire on him after Mike Florio has claimed the story to be false.