Antonio Brown speaks to media for first time since signing with Patriots

Antonio Brown has seemingly been under a gag order since the New England Patriots signed him, but that order was lifted on Thursday.

Sort of.

Brown spoke with reporters for the first time since arriving in New England. As expected, he said very little about the sexual assault lawsuit against him and his status with the NFL. The star receiver said he is grateful to be playing under Bill Belichick and alongside Tom Brady, but he avoided questions about his ongoing legal issues.

Antonio Brown just answered 4 questions in Patriots locker room pic.twitter.com/BvtZf3qjJ7

— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) September 19, 2019

“I appreciate that question, I am here to just focus on ball and look forward to getting out there in the home stadium and be home with the team,” Brown said when asked about his playing status.

Brown, of course, has been sued by his former trainer Britney Taylor, who says Brown sexually assaulted her on three different occasions. Some new allegations against him also came to light this week in a lengthy Sports Illustrated feature, when a woman who chose to remain anonymous accused Brown of sexual misconduct while she was working for him painting a mural at one of his homes.

Taylor met with the NFL for 10 hours on Monday, and Brown is expected to meet with league officials at some point in the near future. There remains a possibility that he could be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, but he appears to be clear to play in Sunday’s game against the New York Jets.