The Antonio Brown story is a gold mine for HBO's Hard Knocks, but don't be surprised if it it doesn't live up to the hype on screen

The Big Lead

Brown, the prized Oakland Raiders wide receiver acquisition, made headlines Friday afternoon when it was revealed that he allegedly tried to sneak on the practice field with a banned old helmet that he painted himself -- and that he's refusing to play without his banned helmet. That and his frostbitten feet are sure to make for great reality TV content. The problem is the Raiders have final say in what is shown on the NFL Films-produced training camp reality show. The combination of Hard Knocks and the dysfunctional Raiders had the promise of tantalizing television. Yet the season premiere on Tuesday was considered boring as the show emphasized the Raiders' glorious 1970s past while ignoring the fact that Oakland has been one of the worst NFL teams since 2003. Yet as The Big Lead points out, the Brown story may be too big to put a lid on.