Despite being on the receiving end of a civil lawsuit, Antonio Brown has not been suspended and the New England Patriots theoretically are under no obligation to bench him Sunday.
Brown, who the Patriots signed last Saturday, has been accused of rape and sexual assault by his former trainer, but it is a civil, not criminal case. Both Brown and the trainer, Britney Taylor, will meet with the NFL over the next week, but until then there are no plans to suspend Brown ahead of the Pats’ tilt with the Miami Dolphins.
With that in mind, former Patriots running back Corey Dillon believes there’s no reason Brown shouldn’t be allowed to play.
“Everybody should take a step back. I mean, presume he’s innocent until proven guilty, right?” Dillon said Friday on WEEI’s Ordway, Merloni & Fauria, as transcribed by WEEI.com. “Listen, I’m not casting him out or throwing stones at him. He’s innocent until proven guilty. So let him play. That’s obvious.”
The Patriots historically have eased new acquisitions into things, so the possibility exists that Brown won’t play Sunday anyway. But at this point if he doesn’t crack the 46-man gameday roster, it’ll be the Patriots’ prerogative, not due to discipline.
