Days After the Patriots Sign Superstar-but-Super-Troubled Receiver Antonio Brown, a Lawsuit Alleging Sexual Assault and Actual Rape is Lodged Against Him

An accusation is of course not proof of anything. Michael Irvin was accused of rape by what turned out to be a gold-digging hustler/con artist.

But I can't imagine the Patriots are happy about this.

They say that they're blindsided.

The Patriots reportedly were blindsided Tuesday by a lawsuit accusing superstar wide receiver Antonio Brown of rape and sexual abuse.

Brown, 31, was slated to practice Wednesday with his new team for the first time when his former trainer, Britney Taylor, filed the lawsuit accusing Brown of sexually assaulting her on three separate occasions in 2017 and ‘18.

A spokesman for the Patriots told the New York Times the team was unaware of any of the allegations before they became public Tuesday night.

The Patriots also released a statement on the matter: "We take these allegations very seriously.... The league has informed us that they will be investigating."

Brown denies the charges.

Britney Taylor, a gymnast and trainer, makes three allegations of sexual assault, including one rape:

In the first alleged incident, he exposed himself and forcibly kissed her without permission in June 2017, she claims.

At another training session weeks later, Brown allegedly sneaked up behind Taylor as she was watching a church service on her iPad at his home. He then masturbated and ejaculated on her back, the court filing says.

"Ewww!" she told him.

"Oh 'B' . . . you know, I'm sorry," he responded before leaving the room, she claims.

Brown and Taylor cut ties for months after that incident, but eventually reunited when he reached out to her again in 2018, she says.

In the third incident, Brown forced her face into a mattress on May 20, 2018, and raped her, the suit states. She tried to fight him off, screaming, "No!" and "Stop!" she claims.

That took place after Taylor went with Brown, another football player and several friends to a club in the Miami area.

I don't have any reason to doubt her, or believe her. I would say that a difficult question for her will be: Why are there three allegations rather than two? The second allegation, about him masturbating on to her back, should have been the last one, right? Instead, after a period of "cutting ties," they "reunited," and then she went out clubbing with him.

It's possible. I suppose NFL players pay a lot of money for trainers, and maybe promises to never do anything untoward again, plus the promise of hundreds of dollars per hour for training, got her to take a chance again.

Still, I'd like some clarity about that.

posted by Ace of Spades at 01:22 PM

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