Wide receiver Antonio Brown will be at the Oakland Raiders‘ facility in Napa, California, on Tuesday, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Brown has not been with the Raiders since being limited in a practice and leaving early on July 30.
He posted on social media Monday that he was looking forward to rejoining his teammates on the field after he lost a grievance against the NFL over wearing his old helmet.
On Friday, Brown had a two-hour conference call with an independent arbitrator to argue why he should be allowed to wear his older helmet — a 10-year-old Schutt Air Advantage model — which he is thought to have been using his entire career. Brown’s specific helmet is over 10 years old and the model is no longer made by the company, so it is not currently certified by the National Operating Committee for Standards and Athletic Equipment.
Brown has tried the new certified helmet out and believes it protrudes out and interferes with his vision as he tries to catch the football. He also argued that his helmet made him feel safe.
The wide receiver is looking into whether he could find a version of his preferred-style helmet that is less than 10 years old to see if that would be acceptable, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. It is not clear that even if he could find one and get it certified by NOCSAE, that the NFL would sign off on it because the technology is outdated.
Brown, acquired by Oakland in a trade for a third- and a fifth-round pick in March from the Pittsburgh Steelers and promptly given a three-year, $50.125 million contract, had reportedly threatened to retire if he was not allowed to wear his helmet.
Brown has also been dealing with frostbitten feet suffered in a cryotherapy mishap in France last month.
Information from ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez was used in this report.