As week three of the NFL season approaches, the belief in New England is that wide receiver Antonio Brown will be eligible to suit up for another game. There was a belief following the victory over the Miami Dolphins that commissioner Roger Goodell could place Brown on the exempt list, but that decision has not yet been made. The league prefers to make their big roster moves on Wednesday or earlier, so it is becoming more and more likely that Brown will be active once again.
As it turns out, there is another factor that could be taken into account prior to Goodell making a decision. According to NFL Media, the Allegheny County District Attorney and Police Department have both reached out to the lawyer of Brown’s accuser, Britney Taylor. The purpose was to investigate the incidents that allegedly took place at Brown’s home in Pittsburgh. However, there was an issue that quickly became apparent for the DA.
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“Our office, along with the Allegheny County Police Department, made contact with counsel for the plaintiff in the federal lawsuit involving Antonio Brown,” the DA said in a statement. “Procedurally, it appears there is a statute of limitations issue in moving forward with any inquiry involving the Allegheny County allegation mentioned in the lawsuit.”
What this means, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, is that the DA can’t proceed with the investigation into the incidents that occurred in Allegheny County. There is a two-year statute of limitations, which means that the alleged incidents from June 2017 are no longer eligible for an investigation. Although sources did tell Fowler that was an intention to investigate.
This latest update benefits Brown’s side of the case considering that there won’t be a criminal investigation in Pennsylvania. There could still be a criminal investigation in Florida depending on the statute of limitations on the lawsuit. Some investigations can take place up to four years while others are limited to two. Although there is the issue of Taylor never filing a police report after any of the alleged incidents.
Ultimately, the NFL won’t be reliant upon the investigations by various agencies. They can still punish Brown for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league have begun the investigation into this case, but there is no definitive timeline for the decision to either punish Brown or continue to let him keep playing.
For now, however, Brown is preparing to suit up against the New York Jets for his second game as a member of the New England Patriots.
