Antonio Brown accused of rape in civil lawsuit

Antonio Brown has been accused of sexually assaulting his former teacher, in step with a lawsuit filed Tuesday within the Southern District of Florida.

Within the civil lawsuit, a replica of which was once reviewed via ESPN, Brown’s former teacher, Britney Taylor, accuses the newly signed New England Patriots receiver of sexually assaulting her on 3 separate events in 2017 and ’18.

“We’re acutely aware of the civil lawsuit that was once filed previous these days towards Antonio Brown, in addition to the reaction via Antonio’s representatives,” the Patriots mentioned in a commentary on Tuesday night time. “We take those allegations very critically. Certainly not does this group condone sexual violence or attack. The league has knowledgeable us that they’re going to be investigating. We will be able to haven’t any additional remark whilst that investigation takes position.”

The primary alleged incident got here in June 2017, with Taylor pronouncing Brown uncovered himself and kissed her with out consent at one in every of his Pittsburgh-area houses. A month later, whilst at Brown’s house in his local Miami, Taylor alleges within the lawsuit, Brown masturbated close to her with out her wisdom and ejaculated on her again, then later bragged about it in a sequence of textual content messages. In Might 2018, after an evening out at a Miami-area membership, Taylor says she went again to Brown’s house in Miami to make use of the toilet and grasp some meals, and the receiver “compelled her down onto a mattress, driven her face into the bed, and forcibly raped her.”

Brown’s attorney, Darren Heitner, mentioned in a commentary Tuesday night time that the receiver and Taylor have been excited by a “consensual private dating. Any sexual interplay with Mr. Brown was once completely consensual.”

In a tweet on Tuesday, Heitner mentioned that Brown “will go away no stone unturned and can aggressively shield himself, together with all of his rights in countersuits.”

Taylor was once a gymnast at Central Michigan, the place Brown attended school. In step with the lawsuit, they met in a Religious study workforce on the college and become pals, then fell out of contact for a number of years prior to reconnecting in June 2017, with Brown hiring Taylor to lend a hand in his bodily coaching.

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ESPN felony analyst Ryan Smith breaks down the felony procedure for a case just like the sexual attack lawsuit that has been filed towards Antonio Brown.

Within the lawsuit, Taylor says she believed their dating was once of a “brother-sister” kind and acted accordingly.

The alleged incidents have left Taylor struggling “near-daily panic assaults and suicidal ideations,” in step with the lawsuit. She is looking for in far more than $75,000.

“As a rape sufferer of Antonio Brown, deciding to talk out has been a shockingly tough determination,” Taylor mentioned in a commentary. “I’ve discovered power in my religion, my circle of relatives, and from the accounts of different survivors of sexual attack.”

Brown, a seven-time Professional Bowler, spent his first 9 NFL seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers prior to being traded this previous offseason to the Oakland Raiders. After a weeks-long saga with Oakland, he was once launched Saturday, and he formally signed two days later with the Patriots.

The Patriots have been stuck via marvel, assets informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and the staff must make a decision find out how to continue with Brown, who was once scheduled for his first follow with New England on Wednesday. One risk is that Roger Goodell will position Brown at the commissioner’s exempt record, assets mentioned, which might imply Brown is probably not counted at the Patriots’ energetic record whilst the league investigates the allegations.

Heitner informed ESPN’s Michael Eaves that he has “no longer been in touch with the league relating to this lawsuit.”