Belichick saying little about Brown

Patroits coach noncommittal about whether WR will play

DAVIE — New England Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown practiced with his new team Wednesday, one day after a college friend he eventually hired as a trainer accused him of sexual assault in a civil lawsuit filed Tuesday.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick did not say whether Brown, who signed with New England on Monday after his tumultuous release from the Oakland Raiders last Saturday, would make his team debut Sunday against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium.

“On Antonio’s situation, both Antonio and his representatives have made statements, so I’m not going to be expanding on any of them,” Belichick told reporters on Wednesday in Foxborough, Mass.

“They are what they are. We’ve looked into the situation. We’re taking it very seriously all the way through the organization. I’m sure there are questions, but I’m not going to be entering into discussion about that today.”

Brown, through his agent Drew Rosenhaus and lawyer Darren Heitner, has denied the allegations against him, saying his relationship with Britney Taylor was “a consensual personal relationship.”

“Antonio and I have unfortunately been anticipating this possibility,” Rosenhaus said in an ESPN interview Wednesday.

“I wouldn’t be doing this interview if I didn’t believe Antonio. These allegations

are false. He denies every one of them. I’m very confident his legal team has facts that will prove this.”

The NFL is beginning its own investigation into the matter following the lawsuit filed Tuesday in the Southern District of Florida and had yet to levy a suspension or ruling on Brown’s playing status as of Wednesday.

Taylor says in the lawsuit that Brown raped her in his bedroom at his Miami home in May 2018, after two separate incidents of sexual misconduct in June and July 2017.

When asked directly about the possibility of Brown playing Sunday in Miami, Belichick said “we’re taking it one day at a time, just like we always do.”

Belichick also referred to his initial statement when asked if the Patriots were aware of the pending lawsuit before acquiring Brown, and whether he and Brown have had any discussions.

“I appreciate all the questions, and what’s been said has been said,” Belichick said in a testy news conference that lasted less than four minutes.

“We’re working on Miami.”