Antonio Brown accused of rape in civil lawsuit

[JonLP24]

Antonio Brown has been accused of sexually assaulting his former trainer, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in the Southern District of Florida.

In the lawsuit, a copy of which was reviewed by ESPN, Brown's former trainer, Britney Taylor, accuses the newly signed New England Patriots receiver of sexually assaulting her on three separate occasions in 2017 and '18.

The first alleged incident came in June 2017, with Taylor saying Brown exposed himself and kissed her without consent at one of his Pittsburgh-area homes. A month later, while at Brown's home in his native Miami, Taylor alleges in the lawsuit, Brown masturbated near her without her knowledge and ejaculated on her back, then later bragged about it in a series of text messages. In May 2018, after a night out at a Miami-area club, Taylor says she went back to Brown's home in Miami to use the bathroom and grab some food, and the receiver "forced her down onto a bed, pushed her face into the mattress, and forcibly raped her."

Brown's lawyer, Darren Heitner, said in a statement Tuesday night that the receiver and Taylor were involved in a "consensual personal relationship. Any sexual interaction with Mr. Brown was entirely consensual."

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27589799/antonio-brown-accused-rape-civil-lawsuit

[RockRaven]

1. Reportedly, because it is a civil lawsuit as opposed to a criminal investigation/charge, he

is still eligible to play this weekend. Unless the team or league office decide to ignore their stated policies in favor of the PR-friendlier reaction (that assumes facts not in evidence, btw: that actually doing something in reaction really would be the public relations-friendlier reaction -- this is NFL fandom/media PR we're talking about).

[Auggie]

2. So just how big a creep is Brown anyway?

I believe we have the answer.

Are we still waiting for a response from the Patriots?

[ChubbyStar]

3. Brown crawls beneath the belly of a snake

He is up against it now, let's see who supports him.

[Brother Buzz]

4. This lawsuit is going sideways in a hurry and I wonder if the Patriots may end up suing Brown for...

something like nondisclosure....or just being stupid.


Wide receiver Antonio Brown made his Patriots debut against the Miami Dolphins Sunday afternoon, despite the rape and sexual assault allegations against him.

Here are some new details that have emerged since the civil lawsuit was filed:

1. According to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, Brown could have a signed an agreement worth over $2 million as a monetary settlement with his accuser Britney Taylor. Per Darlington, the deadline for Brown’s signature was 10 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 8, the day before his signing with the Patriots became official. Brown elected not to settle, prompting Taylor to file a lawsuit Tuesday.

Darlington also reported settlement discussions began in April and included two mediations, the first of which happened in May.

2. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports the Patriots were not aware of the allegations against Brown prior to acquiring him. According to Rapoport, owner Robert Kraft would not have signed off on the acquisition had he known about the situation.

Brown’s agent Drew Rosenhaus said in a “SportsCenter” interview last week that he and Brown were anticipating the lawsuit, but Rosenhaus would not say whether the matter was discussed with the Patriots. In a press conference Wednesday, coach Bill Belichick also would not say whether the team knew about the allegations.

3. The NFL is expected to meet with Taylor on Monday. The league’s investigation will also include conversations with Brown.

Although he played against the Dolphins, Brown can still be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, which is effectively a paid leave in which he cannot participate in practice or games.

[JonLP24]

5. Artist says Pats' Brown sent 'intimidating' texts

The lawyer for a woman who earlier this week alleged sexual misconduct by Antonio Brown reached out to the NFL on Thursday night after the New England Patriots wide receiver apparently sent what were described as threatening text messages to her client, Sports Illustrated reports.

Attorney Lisa J. Banks wrote the NFL, asking the league to stop alleged conduct by Brown that she deemed as "intimidating and threatening to our client, in violation of the NFL Personal Conduct Policy," according to the report. The NFL responded quickly, setting up a phone call between league investigators and the woman's attorneys.

The woman told SI that, on Wednesday night, she received a group text message that appeared to come from the same phone number Brown gave to her in 2017, when she was hired by the wide receiver to paint a mural in his suburban Pittsburgh home. The text chain had four other numbers on it, SI reported.

The woman said she believes Brown was encouraging others in the group to investigate her, describing her as a "super broke girl" and asking someone he refers to as "Eric B" to "look up her background history." He then sent a screenshot of an Instagram photo she had posted showing the faces of her young children, adding "those her kids ... she's awful broke clearly."

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27657207/artist-says-pats-brown-sent-intimidating-texts

Frostbite or helmet doesn't bother me but this does.