It remains to be seen what the New England Patriots plan to do with Antonio Brown after the star receiver was accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, but there is a chance the NFL could take the decision out of the team’s hands.
The NFL is giving “serious consideration” to placing Brown on the commissioner’s exempt list, Mark Maske of the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. That would essentially place Brown on paid leave but make him ineligible to partake in any football-related activities.
In a statement they released on Tuesday night, the Patriots confirmed that the NFL is investigating the allegations against Brown and said they will be taken very seriously. While the lawsuit is civil in nature and no criminal charges have been filed, the NFL could still place Brown on the commissioner’s exempt list while it investigates the credibility of the claims.
The commissioner’s exempt list is a tool that has been used numerous times when players are under investigation. Some other examples of times it was used were with Ray Rice when he was charged with assaulting his now-wife, Adrian Peterson when he was charged with reckless or negligent injury to a child, and Greg Hardy when he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman. More recently, Kareem Hunt was placed on the exempt list just before the Kansas City Chiefs released him last year when footage showed him shoving and kicking a woman.
Brown’s former trainer, Britney Taylor, claims in the lawsuit that Brown sexually assaulted her twice in June 2017 and raped her in May 2018. You can read more about the allegations here. Brown has vehemently denied the allegations and is reportedly planning to file a countersuit against Taylor.
For more on the subject:
– Here’s a summary of the lawsuits filed against Antonio Brown since 2018
– The text messages Antonio Brown allegedly sent Britney Taylor
– Britney Taylor passed lie detector test regarding Antonio Brown allegations
– Patriots react to lawsuit filed against Antonio Brown
– Britney Taylor planning to meet with NFL after her wedding
– Antonio Brown planning to file countersuit against Britney Taylor
– Attorney defends Antonio Brown against ‘money grab’ allegations
Don’t miss any news about Antonio Brown
– Subscribe to our newsletter
– Download the Larry Brown Sports app on your iOS device
– Follow Larry Brown Sports on Twitter
– Join our Facebook group
