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  6. article_body => "<p>Antonio Brown's short tenure on the Raiders was full of drama and headlines that led the four-time All-Pro wide receiver to the Patriots.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There's a good chance you might have missed something along the way, so let's do a quick recap of a&nbsp;saga that made a Tom Brady-Antonio Brown connection possible.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>MARCH: STEELERS TRADE BROWN THE RAIDERS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Brown forced his way out of Pittsburgh, after multiple rifts with Ben Roethlisberger and head coach Mike Tomlin. This prompted the Steelers to trade Brown to the Raiders for a third and fifth round pick. The Raiders shortly signed Brown to a three-year contract extension worth $50 million and $30 million guaranteed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>JULY\/AUGUST: FROSTBITE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In one of the more bizarre injury stories you'll ever see, Brown suffered frostbite on the bottom of his feet after an incident in a cryotherapy chamber. This forced him to miss time at the start of training camp, so not the best start at a new team.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/boston\/patriots\/patriots-signing-brown-means-theyre-now-just-win-baby-team-0?int\"><strong>Signing Brown a \"Just win, baby\" move for the Pats<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>AUGUST: HELMET PREFERENCES RUN AMOK&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The NFL implemented a new policy ahead of the 2019 season that outlawed older helmets worn by players like Brown, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. Brown objected to this policy intensely, threatening to retire and filing multiple grievances against the league. He eventually picked out an approved helmet, but the practices he missed during this fiasco resulted in fines from the Raiders.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>WEDNESDAY: BROWN POSTS LETTER FROM MIKE MAYOCK ON INSTAGRAM<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When Brown received the fines from the Raiders, he posted the letter he received from general manager Mike Mayock, claiming the Raiders didn't have his back. The wideout then confronted Mayock at practice in a screaming match. It was presumed Brown would be suspended for the altercation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>THURSDAY: RAIDERS DISCUSS SUSPENDING BROWN<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Raiders' plan to suspend Brown would have been a problem for his wallet. If the Raiders decided to suspend him for \"conduct detrimental to the team,\" they would be able to void the $30 million guaranteed on his contract. If Brown wasn't guaranteed a cent for this season, there wouldn't be a point in him staying in Oakland.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>FRIDAY: BROWN'S APOLOGY<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the face of a suspension and potentially losing $30 million, Brown issued an emotional apology in front of his Raiders teammates. Afterward, head coach Jon Gruden said Brown would play for the Raiders in Week 1 on Monday Night Football.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>FRIDAY NIGHT: RECORDED PHONE CALL<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After seemingly winning over his team and coach, Brown posted a recorded phone call he had with Gruden. It revealed their conversation and seemed to be a departure from the developments earlier in the day.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h3><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/boston\/patriots\/what-does-antonio-browns-addition-mean-tom-brady-julian-edelman-amd-josh-gordon?int\">What Brown means for the Patriots offense moving forward<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>SATURDAY MORNING: BROWN FINED, ASKS FOR RELEASE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Raiders delivered a fine of over $200K to Brown, which would result in his $30 million guarantee getting voided altogether. In response to this, Brown asked for his release on Instagram. The Raiders had until 4 p.m. on Saturday to release him before his salary became guaranteed for the 2019 season.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>NOON ET, SATURDAY: RAIDERS RELEASE BROWN<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Oakland didn't waste much time. Now that they owed Brown nothing financially, they cut ties and released him just hours after the request. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/boston\/patriots\/raiders-release-antonio-brown-patriots-betting-favorites-land-him?b\">Patriots were the early betting favorites to land him<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5 P.M. ET, SATURDAY: BROWN SIGNS WITH THE PATRIOTS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Not too long after his release, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/boston\/patriots\/nfl-rumors-antonio-brown-agrees-sign-patriots?b\">Brown agreed to a one-year, $15 million contract<\/a> with $9 million guaranteed. He will now join Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon and Demaryius Thomas in Brady's receiving core.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It's understandable to look at this timeline of events and take it as a reason why the Patriots should have stayed far away from Brown. But if there's any team that can take in a personality like this and make his talent stand above everything else, it's New England. They've spent the last two decades building a culture made for situations like this one.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/smart.link\/5bb76e2c06579?site_id=Dig_RSN_Bos&amp;creative_id=nbcsbos1075&amp;cp_4=www.nbcsports.com&amp;cp_1=washington&amp;cp_2=myteams-nbc-sports&amp;cp_3=nbcsbos1075\">Click here<\/a>&nbsp;to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n"
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Patriots

Patriots

Antonio Brown's short tenure on the Raiders was full of drama and headlines that led the four-time All-Pro wide receiver to the Patriots. 

There's a good chance you might have missed something along the way, so let's do a quick recap of a saga that made a Tom Brady-Antonio Brown connection possible. 

MARCH: STEELERS TRADE BROWN THE RAIDERS

Brown forced his way out of Pittsburgh, after multiple rifts with Ben Roethlisberger and head coach Mike Tomlin. This prompted the Steelers to trade Brown to the Raiders for a third and fifth round pick. The Raiders shortly signed Brown to a three-year contract extension worth $50 million and $30 million guaranteed. 

JULY/AUGUST: FROSTBITE

In one of the more bizarre injury stories you'll ever see, Brown suffered frostbite on the bottom of his feet after an incident in a cryotherapy chamber. This forced him to miss time at the start of training camp, so not the best start at a new team.

AUGUST: HELMET PREFERENCES RUN AMOK 

The NFL implemented a new policy ahead of the 2019 season that outlawed older helmets worn by players like Brown, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. Brown objected to this policy intensely, threatening to retire and filing multiple grievances against the league. He eventually picked out an approved helmet, but the practices he missed during this fiasco resulted in fines from the Raiders. 

WEDNESDAY: BROWN POSTS LETTER FROM MIKE MAYOCK ON INSTAGRAM

When Brown received the fines from the Raiders, he posted the letter he received from general manager Mike Mayock, claiming the Raiders didn't have his back. The wideout then confronted Mayock at practice in a screaming match. It was presumed Brown would be suspended for the altercation. 

 

THURSDAY: RAIDERS DISCUSS SUSPENDING BROWN

The Raiders' plan to suspend Brown would have been a problem for his wallet. If the Raiders decided to suspend him for "conduct detrimental to the team," they would be able to void the $30 million guaranteed on his contract. If Brown wasn't guaranteed a cent for this season, there wouldn't be a point in him staying in Oakland. 

FRIDAY: BROWN'S APOLOGY

In the face of a suspension and potentially losing $30 million, Brown issued an emotional apology in front of his Raiders teammates. Afterward, head coach Jon Gruden said Brown would play for the Raiders in Week 1 on Monday Night Football. 

FRIDAY NIGHT: RECORDED PHONE CALL

After seemingly winning over his team and coach, Brown posted a recorded phone call he had with Gruden. It revealed their conversation and seemed to be a departure from the developments earlier in the day. 

SATURDAY MORNING: BROWN FINED, ASKS FOR RELEASE

The Raiders delivered a fine of over $200K to Brown, which would result in his $30 million guarantee getting voided altogether. In response to this, Brown asked for his release on Instagram. The Raiders had until 4 p.m. on Saturday to release him before his salary became guaranteed for the 2019 season. 

NOON ET, SATURDAY: RAIDERS RELEASE BROWN

Oakland didn't waste much time. Now that they owed Brown nothing financially, they cut ties and released him just hours after the request. The Patriots were the early betting favorites to land him.

5 P.M. ET, SATURDAY: BROWN SIGNS WITH THE PATRIOTS

Not too long after his release, Brown agreed to a one-year, $15 million contract with $9 million guaranteed. He will now join Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon and Demaryius Thomas in Brady's receiving core.  

It's understandable to look at this timeline of events and take it as a reason why the Patriots should have stayed far away from Brown. But if there's any team that can take in a personality like this and make his talent stand above everything else, it's New England. They've spent the last two decades building a culture made for situations like this one.

Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.