The New England Patriots released wide receiver Antonio Brown on Friday, 11 days into his tenure with the team and hours after a woman accused him of what she says were intimidating text messages in the wake of talking to Sports Illustrated for a recent story.
Patriots’ statement: “The New England Patriots are releasing Antonio Brown. We appreciate the hard work of many people over the past 11 days, but we feel that it is best to move in a different direction at this time.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 20, 2019
The woman previously told the sports magazine that Brown made an unwanted sexual advance toward her in 2017 when she was working on a painting of the wide receiver at his home.
On Friday, SI reported that Brown allegedly sent text messages to the woman after the story was published, including a group of associates on the text chain. Brown reportedly sent pictures of the woman’s kids and told an associate to “look up her background history (and) see how broke this girl is.”
Patriots coach Bill Belichick walked out of a press conference Friday following repeated questions about Brown and his availability moving forward.
The Patriots signed Brown on Sept. 9, shortly after his release from the Oakland Raiders. A day later, a woman filed a civil lawsuit against Brown, accusing him of rape.
Despite an investigation from the league, Brown was not suspended and played one game for the Patriots, catching four passes for 56 yards and a touchdown.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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