Antonio brown threw a shit-fit for nothing

Now, let me start off before the haters get all worked up that Antonio Brown is one of my favorite players in the NFL. I can finally say that now that he's not a Steeler anymore. I love his athletic ability, his talent, and last but not least, his confidence in himself to say what he thinks and give zero fucks. I've said it before and I'll say it again -- the NFL needs more players like this.

That being said, this whole helmet thing is a fiasco; it was unnecessary, and Brown was never going to get his way, no matter how hard he tried.

So, in a nutshell -- Brown got frostbitten feet and everyone assumed that that was why he hasn't really practiced, etc etc. Turns out, it's also partly due to the league not letting him play with his personal fave helmet. The reason? It's not certified. NFL helmets that are worn by players have to be certified by the NOCSAE, which is a fancy acronym for a committee that certifies athletic equipment (naturally). They also can't be older than 10 years. All valid points.

The player can’t practice or play in games with equipment that’s not approved. If he doesn’t play or practice he is in breach of his contract and doesn’t get paid. Nfl policy is that Helmets have to be certified by NOSCAE. They don’t certify equipment that’s old than 10 years.

— Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) August 12, 2019

Antonio Brown literally filed a grievance on the NFL for not letting him wear his lucky helmet or whatever, which was a mistake in itself. This is a wack ass thing to bitch about for two (2) reasons: a) Brown already has a target on his back for all that random drama with his former team and/or quarterback; b) if the NFL has to save face for ANYTHING in the past few years, it's safety. Specifically in the head-area. CTE, all that jazz. You remember.

Part of the grievance was supposedly that if Brown were to get hurt while wearing said certified helmet instead of his personal helmet, he would hold the NFL liable. Bro, you're the one choosing to play this game here, AND choosing to wear a 12 year old helmet. Not gonna fly. Tom Brady even tried to bitch about this a little ways back, but it's different for him because no one is allowed to breathe near him, let alone touch him in or near the head area.

The arbitrator has since ruled against Brown (as of Monday), and now good ol' Antonio has to get himself a brand new helmet that's certified. Supposedly he doesn't intend to appeal -- so was this all for show? Or, better question, was this all for Hard Knocks? If so, I'm so in.

Here's the latest from the man himself: â€‹

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"While I disagree with the arbitrator's decision, I'm working on getting back to full health and looking forward to rejoining my teammates on the field. I'm excited about this season appreciate all the concerns about my feet □!” #AlwaysAFight #Represent #itsbiggerthanme

A post shared by Boomin (@ab) on Aug 12, 2019 at 1:45pm PDT