If there was any doubt that Antonio Brown would not be ready for Week 1, the Oakland Raiders have put it to rest.
Both quarterback Derek Carr and head coach Jon Gruden have confirmed that Brown will be playing in the season opener, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic and Field Yates of ESPN.
Brown showed up for Raiders training camp on time late last month, arriving in Napa Valley via hot air balloon. However, he was then immediately placed on the non-football injury list. He was taken off of the list less than 48 hours later and practiced, but he only partially participated and has not practiced since.
It was originally thought that Brown's absence was due to the fact that he sustained frostbite on his feet after spending time in a cryotherapy chamber without wearing the proper footwear, but it was later revealed that a bigger reason for Brown's lack of participation was because of a dispute with the NFL over the usage of his helmet, which was banned for no longer being certified by the NOCSAE.
The 31-year-old, who threatened to step away from the game of football if he was not allowed to wear the helmet he donned the first nine years of his career, filed a grievance against the NFL and lost.
But, Brown took to Twitter afterward to announce that he will be rejoining his teammates and arrived back at training camp on Tuesday.
The Raiders acquired Brown in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this offseason.
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