Recently acquired New England Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown has been accused of three counts of sexual assault and rape in a federal lawsuit.
Brown is being accused of raping his former trainer, Britney Taylor, who attended Central Michigan with the receiver, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit states the incidents occurred in June 2017 and May 2018.
“As a rape victim of Antonio Brown, deciding to speak out has been an incredibly difficult decision,” Taylor said in a statement released to The New York Times through her lawyer. “I have found strength in my faith, my family, and from the accounts of other survivors of sexual assault.”
“It was not clear whether Taylor reported her accusations to the police,” according to the Times.
Brown, who signed with the Patriots on Monday, denied the allegations in a statement released by his lawyer, Darren Heitner.
Here is the statement in full:
“Antonio Brown learned today that he has been named in a lawsuit filed in federal court in the Southern District of Florida.
“Mr. Brown denies each and every allegation in the lawsuit. He will pursue all legal remedies to not only clear his name, but to also protect other professional athletes against false accusations.
“Mr. Brown was approached by his accuser in 2017, shortly after Mr. Brown signed a contract making him the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL.
“At that time, Mr. Brown was asked to invest $1.6 million dollars in the accuser’s business project. Mr. Brown was not informed by his accuser that she had just been levied with a $30,000 IRS tax lien or that $300,000 of the $1.6 million so called “investment” was to be used to purchase property already owned by the accuser and her mother.
“When Mr. Brown refused to make the $1.6 million ‘investment,’ the accuser supposedly cut off communications with Mr. Brown.
“However, in 2018, the accuser resurfaced and offered to travel to Pennsylvania and South Florida to train Mr. Brown for the upcoming season.
“Thereafter, the accuser engaged Mr. Brown in a consensual personal relationship. Any sexual interaction with Mr. Brown was entirely consensual.
“The accuser not only traveled to Mr. Brown’s residences on multiple occasions, she traveled from Tennessee to Florida and returned at 2 a.m. to Mr. Brown’s residence ten days after the alleged assault.
“The accuser continued communications with Mr. Brown throughout 2018, and even asked Mr. Brown for tickets to a Pittsburgh Steelers football game in the winter of 2018.
“Mr. Brown’s accuser has continually posted photographs of Mr. Brown on her social media in an effort to financially benefit from his celebrity. Mr. Brown, whose hard work and dedication to his craft has allowed him to rise to the top of his profession, refuses to be the victim of what he believes to be a money grab.
“In May 2018, Mr. Brown’s accuser invited herself to join Mr. Brown and his friends, who were patrons at Miami adult entertainment clubs. After several hours of partying, Mr. Brown and his friends called it a night.
“Instead of leaving by herself, as she had arrived, and returning to her hotel, Mr. Brown’s accuser solicited Mr. Brown to join her and return to Mr. Brown’s residence where the two engaged in consensual sex.
“Again, Mr. Brown denies all of the accuser’s allegations.”
Heitner later added that Brown intends to countersue.
You can read Brown’s graphic emails sent to Taylor here.
The full lawsuit can be read below.
