Brown denied in helmet bid but will play for Raiders

Wide receiver Antonio Brown was denied in his bid to wear his old helmet by an arbitrator Monday, but indicated on social media he intended to join the Raiders, thus ending speculation he might retire.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy, who earlier in the morning outlined the league's argument in what he termed “background information” confirmed Brown's grievance had been denied.

Brown had been threatening to retire if he couldn't wear his old helmet. Brown's response on Twitter made it clear he has no intention of walking away from a three-year contract extension with a maximum value of more than $50 million and over $30 million guaranteed: “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”

Brown has missed almost all of training camp after sustaining frostbite-like burns on his feet in a cryotherapy session well in advance of the start of training camp.