Raiders Coach Jon Gruden Says Antonio Brown Will Play Monday vs. Broncos

Antonio Brown returned to the Raiders' practice on Friday.

Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown returned to practice on Friday and will play in Oakland's Week 1 game against the Broncos, head coach Jon Gruden announced.

Gruden addressed reporters on Friday and said that he was happy to see Brown back after he missed Thursday's practice.

"Antonio's back today. We're really excited about that and ready to move on," Gruden said. "He's had a lot of time obviously to think about things and we're happy to have him back."

Statement from #Raiders HC Jon Gruden: “Antonio is back today. We’re excited about that. Ready to move on.” Gruden says the plan is to have Antonio Brown play on Monday @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/UCq1n1JPUZ

— MJ Acosta-Ruiz (@MJAcostaTV) September 6, 2019

On Thursday, ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the Raiders were planning on suspending Brown after he got into a "screaming match" with Raiders general manager Mike Mayock. The tiff came after Brown posted a photo to Instagram stories of his fines from the team that total nearly $54,000. Schefter reported the letter was from Mayock.

According to ESPN's Josina Anderson, Brown approached Mayock at Wednesday's practice because he was unhappy about being fined. The wide receiver reportedly called Mayock a "cracker" and unloaded several "cuss words" during the spat. Sources told Anderson that Mayock attempted to defuse the situation and several players tried to pull Brown away. He reportedly issued "an emotional apology" during Friday morning's team meeting with the Raiders' captains standing with him.

"I apologized to my teammates," Brown told media after practice on Friday. "Enough talk."

#Raiders WR Antonio Brown “I’m excited to be out here with my team. I apologized to my teammates. Enough talk.” @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/N6otdQx9FT

— MJ Acosta-Ruiz (@MJAcostaTV) September 6, 2019

Brown had a tumultuous offseason when he left camp on July 30 after developing "extreme frostbite" on the bottom of his feet. He then turned his attention to the NFL's new rules over league-approved helmets. Brown filed his first helmet grievance against the NFL, which he lost, and later returned to camp after missing nearly two weeks.

But the helmet debacle followed Brown. It was reported the wide receiver would not play if he was not allowed to continue wearing his Schutt AiR Advantage helmet. He eventually returned to practice with an approved helmet but filed a second grievance and lost.

The Raiders open the 2019 season on Monday night when they host the Broncos. Kickoff is slated for at 10:20 p.m. ET.