Antonio Brown has hinted that he would like to return to the New England Patriots if the NFL were to clear him before the end of the season, and apparently some of his former teammates are open to that happening.
Patriots players and coaches would welcome Brown back to the team, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. However, team owner Robert Kraft has reportedly not shown a willingness to re-sign Brown, which is understandable given the way the star receiver’s brief tenure in New England ended.
The Patriots signed Brown on Sept. 9, which was the day before his former friend and personal trainer Britney Taylor filed a sexual assault lawsuit against him. Brown was then accused of sexual misconduct by a different woman, and the Patriots released him after he sent text messages to the second alleged victim that could be interpreted as threatening in nature.
Brown met with the NFL earlier this month to share his side of things, and there have been reports that he is optimistic he will be cleared before the end of the season. However, there has been no official word from the league on his status, and he could still be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list if a team signed him.
It seems as though Brown is trying to make amends with the Patriots, as he recently posted an apology on social media to Kraft and the organization. He had ripped Kraft in a since-deleted tweet back in September after the Patriots cut him.
New England has been struggling on offense in recent weeks, and Tom Brady has been extremely frustrated despite the team’s 10-1 record. He may have even hinted recently that he wants the Patriots to bring Brown back, though Kraft would need to sign off in order for that to happen.
