The New England Patriots released troubled wide receiver Antonio Brown amid sexual assault allegations.
Brown signed with the Patriots 11 days ago but since then he has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. He was hit with a civil lawsuit for sexual assault allegations by his former trainer Britney Taylor, just hours after his release from the Raiders and signing with the Patriots.
\n"}[/]AB’s last few months:
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 20, 2019
➖ Cryotherapy frostbite
➖ Helmet grievance
➖ Threatened retirement
➖ Posts fine on IG
➖ Yells at Mayock
➖ Posts Gruden convo
➖ Cut by Raiders
➖ Signs with Patriots
➖ Sexual assault and misconduct allegations
➖ Cut after 1 game
(@brgridiron) pic.twitter.com/lpqqrQQgO5
The Patriots released the following statement, shortly after the news broke:
"The New England Patriots are releasing Antonio Brown. We appreciate the hard work of many people over the past 11 days, but we feel it is best to move in a different direction at this time."
Moments before the news broke, Antonio Brown himself posted on social media thanking the Patriots for the opportunity.
He then tweeted:
"The marathon continues"
Brown's on-field skills were never in question, he caught four passes for 56 yards and one touchdown and ran for five yards on one carry in last Sunday's 43-0 win against the Dolphins, his only game with the Patriots and his teammates and coaches said he was a pleasure to work with but his off-field issues outweighed his football prowess.
The Patriots were the favorites to win Super Bowl LIV before signing Brown, they were the favorites with Brown and they are the favorites without him. They traded Demaryius Thomas to the Jets for a 2021 sixth-round pick to make room for Brown but they still have Josh Gordon and Phillip Dorsett, who will likely be more involved in the offense now. Both players already proved they can handle the responsibility.
Also, N'Keal Harry will return from the injured reserve in the coming weeks. Harry became the first Patriots wide receiver drafted in the first round since Terry Glenn in 1996 and while he had some drops early in the preseason, he displayed his athleticism and made acrobatic catches as well.
The promising rookie struggled with ankle injuries throughout training camp and preseason. Harry was injured during the team's joint practices with the Lions and a hard hit in the preseason opener aggravated his ailing.
Antonio Brown was traded from the Steelers to the Raiders in March and his time in Oakland was full of off-field drama, like frostbitten feet from a cryotherapy mishap and a controversy over which helmet he would use. Brown's helmet manufacturer Xenith and Nike cut ties with him in recent weeks.
Per ESPN Adam Schefter: "NFL now can conduct its investigation of Antonio Brown without any time pressure. It's hard to imagine another team would attempt to get in the way of that. So Brown's NFL career is on pause and possibly could even be over."
Will Antonio Brown play another down in the NFL this season?
(Courtesy of Bovada)
Yes +350
No -600