Antonio Brown asks for release after Raiders remove contract guarantees

When the Raiders traded for Antonio Brown in March, it was thought that he’d bring an essence of winning and hard work to the team. But the wins haven’t come, and it appears they never will.

This morning at 6:06 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, Brown posted on Instagram asking for the Raiders to release him.

When AB descended from the sky to training camp in Napa Valley via hot air balloon, Jon Gruden said that he expected “a lot more drama,” from Brown in the near future.

He got much more than he bargained for.

After drama with his feet, his helmet issues, complaining about fines, being facing potential suspension for screaming at Mike Mayock while calling him a “cracker,” a public apology with captains surrounding him, Gruden telling the media that Brown would play Monday night despite the reported suspension, and a bizarre Instagram post featuring a phone call with Gruden, it appears this saga is finally coming to a head.

Did I forget anything?

The Raiders ultimately fined Brown more than $215K for his tirade against Mayock and removed the guarantees from his contract to protect themselves in case of another outburst.

At 6:31 a.m. PST, ESPN’s Jeff Darlington tweeted that the Raiders removing the guarantees from Brown’s deal sparked his request.

Fans who have been clamoring for Brown to “make it stop,” and “end this nonsense,” have had their wishes granted in the worst way.

After Gruden called the video Brown posted, “awesome” on Friday night, I’m sure he will find this most recent post less amusing.

The Raiders have not responded to Brown’s request for release yet, but it would be shocking if they didn’t acquiesce to his demands after he has muddled the team chemistry to an immense degree.