How Antonio Brown is turning helmet saga into another payday

Oh to be Antonio Brown. Even when he loses, he wins.

Sure, the Oakland Raiders wide receiver and former Pittsburgh Steelers star lost his second and final appeal to the NFL and the players’ union to wear his now-banned favorite helmet, but he’s going to profit handsomely because of it.

His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said Sunday that Brown is negotiating with “multiple helmet companies” that will not only custom design his new helmet but will also offer him a lucrative endorsement deal.

What’s that old saying about the squeaky wheel getting the grease payment?

Brown lost his grievance late last week in a final bid to continue wearing the Schutt Air Advantage helmet, one of the brands the NFL deemed wasn’t up to its new safety standards because the model is more than 10 years old.

“We’re gonna move on. That door is closed,” Rosenhaus said on SiriusXM NFL radio Sunday. “On the bright side, as a result of all the publicity (surrounding his helmet saga), he has multiple offers on the table right now.

“Without getting into specifics, we’ve found some very suitable alternatives so Antonio will be wearing an approved helmet. He won’t be missing any time, and he’ll be getting paid a lot of money to do so,” Rosenhaus said. “So it’s sort of a happy ending even though he won’t be able to wear the old helmet any more. “

To recap, Brown walked out of camp twice because he was upset with the league and his union for making him change to a new helmet he wasn’t comfortable wearing. Partly because of that, the man who signed a three-year, $50 million contract with the Raiders hasn’t played a snap in any of their three preseason games.