Lawyer for Antonio Brown say he denies allegations of sexual assault and rape
New England Patriots say the team takes allegations against Antonio Brown seriously and the NFL plans an investigation; Molly Line reports from Boston.
Antonio Brown’s agent on Wednesday defended his client amid a bombshell lawsuit accusing the New England Patriots wide receiver of raping and sexually assaulting his former personal trainer in 2017 and 2018.
Drew Rosenhaus appeared on ESPN and said he and Brown were “unfortunately anticipating this situation.”
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“I wouldn't be doing this interview if I didn't believe Antonio,” Rosenhaus said. “Antonio takes these allegations very seriously. These allegations are false. He denies every one of them.
He added: “I am very confident his legal team has facts that will prove this. All we can ask for is that people keep in mind that this is a civil matter. This is not a criminal matter. This is a civil case right now and there’s a procedure.”
Rosenhaus said he talked with the NFL Players’ Association about the case, but not the NFL. He said his client would cooperate with an investigation.
He added that he believes the lawsuit is nothing more than a “money grab.”
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“I'll repeat this,” he said. “This is a money grab. I believe this: this is a money grab.”
Brown, who faces a civil lawsuit in Florida filed by personal trainer Britney Taylor, is accused of sexually assaulting the woman twice in June 2017 and raping her in May 2018. It wasn't immediately clear if Taylor, who has publicly identified herself as Brown's accuser, had reported any of the allegations to police or if any criminal investigation has taken place or will occur.
In the 2017 incidents, Brown is accused of exposing himself to Taylor “without her consent” and “masturbating near her without her knowledge and ejaculated on her back.”
Taylor cut off her relationship with Brown after the alleged encounters but said he later reached out seeking forgiveness and asking to train with her again, according to the lawsuit.
But she says instead of repairing their relationship, on May 20, 2018, Brown cornered Taylor, "forced her down onto a bed, pushed her face into the mattress and forcibly raped her,” according to the lawsuit.
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“She screamed and cried throughout the entire rape, repeatedly shouting ‘no’ and ‘stop.’ Brown refused and penetrated her,” court documents state.
Brown allegedly sent two graphic emails to Taylor, calling her a “weak b---h” and a “sick a—h--.” Both messages appeared to have been sent on June 29, according to a date stamp, but no year is visible in the screenshots that have been made public.
David Haas, Taylor’s attorney, released a statement on behalf of his client.
“As a rape victim of Antonio Brown, deciding to speak out has been an incredibly difficult decision," Taylor said. "I have found strength in my faith, my family and from the accounts of other survivors of sexual assault. Speaking out removes the shame that I have felt for the past year and places it on the person responsible for my rape. I will cooperate with the NFL and any other agencies; however, at this time, I respectfully request that the media please respect my privacy.”
Darren Heitner, Brown’s attorney, said his client denies “each and every allegation” and "refuses to be the victim of what he believes to be a money grab.”
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Heitner said Taylor approached Brown in 2017 asking him for a $1.6 million investment in an unspecified "business project," but Taylor didn't tell Brown “she had just been levied with a $30,000 IRS tax lien or that $300,000 of the $1.6 million so-called ‘investment’ was to be used to purchase property already owned by the accuser and her mother.”
Brown refused to give her the money and Taylor “supposedly” cut off communications with him, according to Heitner.
Then in 2018, Heitner said, Taylor offered to travel to Pennsylvania and South Florida with Brown to train, and she engaged Brown in “a consensual personal relationship.”
“Any sexual interaction with Mr. Brown was entirely consensual,” Heitner said, claiming Taylor also traveled from Tennessee to Florida to see Brown “10 days after the alleged assault.”
In May 2018, Taylor “invited herself” to join Brown and a group of friends at a Miami club and later “solicited” Brown and the two “engaged in consensual sex,” Heitner said.
Brown, a Miami native, was with the Pittsburgh Steelers during the time the alleged incidents occurred.
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Taylor is reportedly seeking an unspecified amount of damages.