Antonio Brown was supposed to spend 2019 playing for the Oakland Raiders. Instead, he didn't play in the NFL at all.
The Raiders acquired Brown in a blockbuster trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers last March. But a series of incidents in training camp resulted in Brown ultimately asking for his release.
Oakland granted his request, cutting him just before the season began. He then signed with the New England Patriots. But he played in one game and then was released by the Patriots as a result of rape allegations.
Now that Raiders general manager Mike Mayock has had some time to reflect and everything that transpired with Brown, he has decided to take the blame for things not working out with the star wide receiver:
“I put that on me,” said Mayock, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic. “My anticipation was that he was coming off a situation in Pittsburgh where he wants to prove everybody wrong and he wants to ride into the Hall of Fame. That he was going to come in with Jon Gruden and Derek Carr and our offense and lead the way. … I really thought we were going to get the best out of Antonio Brown and we didn’t. We weren’t able to get anything out of him. So, at the end of the day, in hindsight, we lost a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick, and I can’t tell you how much pain that causes me.”
While Mayock isn't exactly absolving Brown (and he shouldn't), he is essentially taking responsibility from an organizational perspective. Essentially, Mayock cost the Raiders a couple of draft picks.
Still, most would agree that it was a risk that was worth it at the time.
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