The New England Patriots on Friday released wide receiver Antonio Brown, who had only been with the team for a short time, after a second woman accused him of sexual misconduct.
The defending Super Bowl champions announced the move in a statement emailed to reporters, minutes after Brown posted on Twitter: "Thank you for the opportunity @Patriots #GoWinIt."
Statement from a #Patriots spokesperson: https://t.co/c98rNDX9QG pic.twitter.com/DAohupBLHo
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 20, 2019
The team's statement attributed to a Patriots spokesperson said, in its entirety: "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."
Two women have accused Brown of sexual misconduct. Former trainer Britney Taylor has filed a civil lawsuit against Brown — accusing him of rape and sexual assault on three occasions. The lawsuit became public last week, and Taylor has had meetings with the NFL.
Sports Illustrated reported this week that another woman said Brown sexually harassed her while she working at his home — she turned around to find him standing there naked except for a small towel covering his genitals.
SI reports the unidentified woman said she received "intimidating texts" after the magazine article detailed her allegations:
"The woman previously told SI that Brown had hired her two years ago to paint a mural of him in his home but "ghosted" her after she ignored his advance. On Wednesday night, the woman says, she received a group text message that appeared to come from the same phone number Brown provided to her in 2017. The text chain, with four other phone numbers on it, included photos of her and her children, with the person she believes is Brown encouraging others in the group to investigate the woman. The texter accused the artist of fabricating her account of the 2017 incident for cash. (In her letter to the league, the woman's attorney repeated that the artist is not seeking remuneration from Brown in connection with the alleged incident.)"
Analysts say they do not expected Brown to join another NFL team this season.
It's unfortunate things didn't work out with the Patriots. But Antonio is healthy and is looking forward to his next opportunity in the NFL. He wants to play the game he loves and he hopes to play for another team soon.
— Drew Rosenhaus (@RosenhausSports) September 20, 2019
"It's unfortunate things didn't work out with the Patriots," Brown 's agent, Drew Rosenhaus tweeted. "But Antonio is healthy and is looking forward to his next opportunity in the NFL. He wants to play the game he loves and he hopes to play for another team soon."
Also this week, Nike cut ties with the receiver, saying in an email to The Associated Press on Friday, " Antonio Brown is not a Nike athlete."
Brown, a four-time All-Pro, began his career in Pittsburgh after being drafted in 2010 as a sixth-round pick by the Steelers. Over time his relationship with the Steelers soured and he was traded this year to the Oakland Raiders.
Oakland signed Brown to a contract that would have paid him up to $50 million over the next three seasons, but he never played a game for the team. After getting into disagreements with the coach and general manager, he was released.
A few hours later, the Patriots signed Brown to a one-year deal that would have guaranteed him $9 million and paid him up to $15 million this season.
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