New Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown was accused of three incidents of sexual assault by his former trainer, Britney Taylor, according to a civil lawsuit filed in the Southern District of Florida on Tuesday.
Brown’s attorney, Darren Heitner, quickly issued a statement after the news broke Tuesday night, stating that Brown “denies each and every allegation in the lawsuit.”
Brown and Taylor first met as students at Central Michigan in 2010, and Taylor claims that after years of not being in touch, Brown sent a Facebook message to her in 2017 – asking for help with physical training. Taylor believed that their relationship was that of a “brother – sister” type but Brown persisted that the two get involved romantically, according to the lawsuit.
Taylor claims that over the course of less than a year Brown exposed himself to her, masturbated and ejaculated on her back, and sexually penetrated her in separate incidents. Taylor claims that all of the incidents were without her consent.
From the lawsuit regarding the incident in which Brown allegedly raped Taylor in Miami in May of 2018:
“Ms. Taylor was planning to immediately drive to her hotel room but went into Brown’s home to use the restroom and grab some food from the kitchen. While Ms. Taylor was walking toward the front door, Brown grabbed her arm, told her he wanted to talk to her, and pulled her into his bedroom.
“They chatted for a few minutes, and when Ms. Taylor went to walk out of the room, Brown cornered her and pulled her down on the bed on her stomach, pushing her face down into the mattress.
“She attempted to physically resist, but he pinned her down so that she was unable to fight back. As she struggled, he lifted her dress and told her, ‘you know you want this.’
“Ms. Taylor pleaded with him, shouting “no” and “stop.” But Brown refused and proceeded with great violence to penetrate her.
“Ms. Taylor protested and cried the entire time.
“When Brown finally released her, Ms. Taylor stood up in a state of trauma and shock, crying in front of him.
“Devastated and disoriented, she ran into his foyer and collapsed on the ground. No one came to her rescue or to help her in any way. She was completely alone. Eventually she summoned the strength to pick herself off the floor, make it to the door, get into her car and drive – dazed and emotionally shattered – to her hotel. She was so exhausted that she fell asleep at a stoplight on the drive back.”
Emails Texts from Brown
Here are the NSFW emails that Brown allegedly sent to Taylor.
These are the emails Antonio Brown allegedly sent to his accuser in the rape court. pic.twitter.com/hGHEbiY8F6
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) September 11, 2019
Evolving story
WEEI’s Dale Arnold claimed Wednesday that a “reliable source” told him that the Patriots did know that the lawsuit against Brown was a possibility when the team signed him last Saturday, despite several reports that claim New England was blindsided by the situation.
Brown’s agent Drew Rosenhaus appeared on ESPN on Wednesday and said the following:
“I wouldn’t be doing this interview if I didn’t believe Antonio,” Rosenhaus said. “These allegations are false. He denies every one of them. I’m very confident his legal team has facts that will prove this.
“Please allow the situation to play out,” Rosenhaus continued. “Antonio will cooperate with the Patriots and with the NFL. In time, Antonio will be cleared. The claims are untrue.
“I’ll repeat this. This is a money grab. I believe this: this is a money grab.”
Brown practiced for the first time with the Patriots on Wednesday and the NFL has already launched an investigation into the matter. Taylor plans to meet with the NFL next week.
Brown’s status for this Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins is unclear.
Taylor runs a gym in Tennessee and is an accomplished former LSU gymnast, seen here in action.
