Just when it seemed as if things could only get better for Antonio Brown, Britney Taylor, a friend and trainer, hit him with a lawsuit alleging multiple acts of sexual assault — two in June of 2017 and one in May 2018.
Antonio Brown’s side
The lawsuit came out the day after Brown signed with the Patriots, and Brown’s lawyer, Darren Heitner, issued a statement saying, “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.” He also claimed that in 2017, shortly after Brown signed a new contract making him the highest paid wide receiver in the league, Taylor had asked Brown to invest $1.6 million into her business project. He also stated that Brown was not informed that she had just been hit with a $30k tax lien by the IRS or that $300k of the $1.6 million would be used to purchase land that Taylor and her mother already owned.
He went on to claim their sexual relationship was consensual, and hinted that it was her doing.
Britney Taylor’s side
Taylor alleges in the lawsuit that Brown exposed himself and forcibly kissed her, and later that month, while they streamed religious programming at his home, he masturbated behind her and ejaculated on her back. The lawsuit also contains images of profane messages Taylor claims were sent to her by Brown.
Taylor then claimed she ended their working relationship, but Brown contacted her several months later and the lawsuit says his promises on no further sexual advances would cease swayed her.
According to the lawsuit, on May 20, 2018, Brown forced her onto a bed and raped her while she repeatedly shouted “No!” and “Stop!”
Caught in the middle
The New England Patriots released a statement saying, “We are aware of the civil lawsuit that was filed earlier today against Antonio Brown, as well as the response by Antonio’s representatives. We take these allegations very seriously. Under no circumstances does this organization condone sexual violence or assault. The league has informed us that they will be investigating. We will have no further comment while that investigation takes place.”
The league and Patriots were reportedly caught by surprise by Taylor’s claim, and the Patriots claim having no knowledge of the incident when they signed Brown.
The league is conducting its own investigation.
