Antonio Brown’s camp is circling the wagons in an attempt to defend the superstar wide receiver amid rape allegations.
Brown’s former trainer on Tuesday filed a civil lawsuit against the New England Patriots receiver, accusing him of sexual assault on multiple occasions. Almost immediately after that news broke, Brown’s representation passionately denied the allegations. On Wednesday, Brown’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, followed suit, calling the situation a “money grab.”
“Antonio and I have been unfortunately anticipating this possibility,” Rosenhaus said Wednesday afternoon on “SportsCenter.”
“What I want to emphasize is Antonio takes these allegations very seriously. … I wouldn’t be doing this interview if I didn’t believe Antonio. These allegations are false. He denies every one of them.”
Rosenhaus was also sure to repeatedly point out it’s a civil matter, not a criminal matter, and noted there’s a “procedure” that needs to play out.
Rosenhaus said he hasn’t yet spoken with the NFL, but he has talked with the NFL Players’ Association, and the NFLPA has been in contact with the NFL.
“What I want to emphasize to everyone is please allow the situation to play out. Antonio will cooperate,” Rosenhaus promised. ” … In time, Antonio will be cleared. These allegations in the lawsuit are false. They are not true. They are absolutely untrue.”
He later added: “In no way do we condone any type of illegal conduct or misbehavior. None of that happened here. This is a money grab. I’ll repeat that: This is a money grab.”
As to whether the Patriots knew about Brown’s looming legal troubles, Rosenhaus was vague.
“I’m not going to get into that element. I’m not going to get into my discussions with the Patriots and what may or may not have been discussed.”
Brown is expected to practice with the Patriots on Wednesday, but his status for Sunday’s game in Miami is still unclear.
