Antonio Brown is expected to make his New England Patriots debut Sunday in their Week 2 game against the Miami Dolphins, five days after a sexual assault lawsuit was filed against the star wide receiver.
ESPN reported that Brown will play, making his 2019 debut after an unprecedented whirlwind week.
Brown asked for the Oakland Raiders to release him eight days ago and got his wish. Hours later, he agreed to terms with the Patriots, who added Brown to a stacked receiving corps that also includes Julian Edelman and Josh Gordon.
But on Tuesday, Brown’s former trainer filed suit against him alleging he sexually assaulted her in 2017 and 2018.
Brown was not placed on the NFL’s commissioner’s exempt list this week because there is no criminal charge against him at the moment. He practiced with the Patriots during the week and traveled with them to Miami.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Patriots owner Robert Kraft said he would not have wanted New England to sign Brown if he had known about the rape allegation at the time.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.