The Antonio Brown era in Oakland is already off to a rocky start and the team isn't even two weeks into training camp.
Days after it was reported that Brown's feet were frostbitten after failing to use the proper protective footwear in a cryotherapy machine comes word that he has gone "radio silent."
Chase Williams of WPXI, the NBC affiliate in Pittsburgh, reported on Friday that the Raiders have "zero clue" where the star wide receiver is, or what the status of his foot injury is. The accuracy of this report is up for debate, but given Brown's track record some fans aren't the least bit surprised at the way this off-season has gone thus far.
During Tuesday's edition of PFT Live, Chris Simms explained that the nasty condition of Browns' feet is actually peeling layers of skin caused by a condition called an "unidentified Buc fungus." Simms further detailed that he has been told the issue was caused by frostbite. According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, Brown saw a foot specialist for his condition earlier this week and he is currently listed as day-to-day.
In a recent interview with The Athletic, team owner Mark Davis didn't have any answers regarding the injury, though he seemed pleased with AB's work ethic when he has been around.
“You’d have to ask someone else about that,” Davis said, according to The Athletic. “I’m an ‘M.D.,’ but I’m not a foot doctor. But I’ll say this, just watching him [when he did] practice, nobody works harder than this guy. And I’ve seen some of the best, Cliff [Branch] and everyone else. Antonio doesn’t have the straight-line speed that Cliff had, but he might have more football speed. And the way he can control it and everything.”
The Raiders will open up the 2019 season at home against the division rival Denver Broncos in the second game of ESPN's Monday Night double-header on September 9.