Brown is accused of raping former trainer
New England Patriots receiver Antonio Brown has been accused of raping his former trainer, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in the Southern District of Florida.
The lawsuit says that Brown — in three separate incidents, two in June 2017 and another in May 2018 — sexually assaulted a woman named Britney Taylor, a gymnast whom he met while they were attending Central Michigan together and whom he later hired as a trainer.
“Mr. Brown denies each and every allegation in the lawsuit,” said a statement from Darren Heitner, a lawyer representing Brown. “He will pursue all legal remedies to not only clear his name but to also protect other professional athletes against false accusations.”
According to the lawsuit, Brown sexually assaulted Taylor twice during training sessions in June 2017. First, he exposed himself and kissed her without her permission, the lawsuit says. Later that month, the lawsuit says, while she was watching a television program at his home, Brown started masturbating behind her and ejaculated on her back. Brown bragged about the incident in Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. sports a $189,500 Richard Mille watch as he jogs onto the field for Sunday’s game against the Titans.
profane text messages that are copied in the lawsuit.
Taylor ended her working relationship with Brown, the lawsuit says, but several months later, when he contacted her to apologize,
she relented. She was, according to the lawsuit, “swayed by his assurance that he would cease any sexual advances.”
Then, the lawsuit says, on May 20, 2018, Brown forced her onto a bed, pushed her face
into the mattress and “forcibly” raped her. She tried to resist him, screaming and repeatedly shouting “no” and “stop,” the lawsuit says, but Brown refused and penetrated her.
“As a rape victim of Antonio Brown, deciding to speak out has been an incredibly difficult decision,” Taylor said in a statement released by her lawyer. “I have found strength in my faith, my family and from the accounts of other survivors of sexual assault.”
It was not clear whether Taylor reported her accusations to police.
Browns receiver Odell Beckham Jr. doesn’t believe the “plastic” $189,500 Richard Mille watch he sported Sunday against the Tennessee Titans violates a league rule and said Tuesday he will continue to wear it.
“I’ll still be wearing it,” Beckham said. “The same way I wear it every day, at practice, I go here, I go there. I’ve been wearing it. Take a shower with it on. It’s just on me.
“It shouldn’t be an issue.”
Asked about a potential fine, Beckham said, “For what? You’ve got to look into the rule book. It says you can’t wear any hard objects. The watch is plastic. But people have knee braces on that are hard and made out of metal and you don’t see them taping it up.”
Oakland cornerback Gareon Conley is OK after an injury scare during the Raiders’ 24-16 win over the Denver Broncos on Monday night.
The Ohio State product was carted off the field with a neck injury after being hit in the head by teammate Johnathan Abram and taken to a hospital.
After being released from the hospital Tuesday, Conley tweeted: “Thank you to everybody who had me in their thoughts and prayers. I hurt my neck nothing severe and it was just protocol to get me on a stretcher and get imaging to make sure everything was ok make sure it didn’t go down my spine or anything. I’m good to go.”
Raiders coach Jon Gruden said there’s “a chance” Conley could play Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
A person with direct knowledge of the deal said the New York Jets acquired wide receiver Demaryius Thomas from the Patriots for a 2021 sixth-round draft pick.