Wednesday morning, news surfaced that Oakland Raiders tackle Trent Brown is being sued for alleged domestic violence in California. In the lawsuit filed on behalf of Diorra Marzette-Sanders, Brown allegedly committed multiple acts of violence, including one in which he allegedly “slapped the Plaintiff across the face leaving her mouth bloody and her face bruised.”
With the news surfacing as the Oakland Raiders are leaving the bye week and preparing for a battle with the Green Bay Packers in Wisconsin, there were some immediate questions that were asked. Will Brown participate in Sunday’s game? Will he be suspended by the NFL after an investigation?
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The legal aspects of the alleged incidents quickly took center stage, but there were many reactions based on how the headlines were crafted with an emphasis on his one-year stint with the New England Patriots. Why was he being listed as a former member of Bill Belichick’s team instead of as a current member of the Raiders?
Finally, there were simply some that wanted to know about the moral compass of the Raiders’ front office. For many fans, they wanted assurances that the tackle would no longer be on the roster if any of these accusations are ultimately proven true.
You put Patriots in the headline, it’s going to get more clicks because they always win and everyone hates them! It’s simple really. If you out Oakland Raider Trent Brown, everyone will be like meh whatever. Another Raider being dumb. Throw in NE, the masses will charge! https://t.co/jXel0gOxqt
— Beau Santus (@beaudozer03) October 16, 2019
While Trent Brown technically plays for the Oakland Raiders, there were many news stories that listed him as a former member of the New England Patriots. This was viewed by many Patriots fans as an attack on the AFC team, as well as an opportunity to generate extra clicks.
Yes, Brown did spend one season with the Patriots, lining up at left tackle and winning Super Bowl LIII. However, he left New England in March when he became a free agent and signed with the Raiders.
I’m all for supporting dv victims, but this seems like a money grab to me. These pics don’t say a lot about what Trent Brown is accused of…. https://t.co/gVGg6QkED4
— 🏁WestCoast 🏁 (@cali4niaboiii) October 16, 2019
Along with the news of the lawsuit surfacing on Wednesday, there were also a series of photos that were made public on Twitter. The four photos were reportedly from the police report that was filed in June 2019, but the actual source was not provided.
If these photos are actually from the police report, there are many individuals on social media that believe they can be used to show Brown’s innocence. For many, the lack of marks makes this entire scenario into what they describe as a “money grab.”
If your first reaction to the Trent Brown news is how it affects your favorite teams publicity, you need to take a good, long look in the mirror pic.twitter.com/pTkvcfFWF1
— Dave Latham (@DLPatsThoughts) October 16, 2019
When the news surfaced about Brown and the allegations against him, there were many that simply focused on how this would affect their favorite team. Do these alleged incidents paint the Patriots and the Raiders in a bad light? Is the national media on a mission to destroy Bill Belichick’s team with the headlines?
These reactions were met on social media with some criticism from those that felt the public image of specific teams doesn’t matter. Instead, they wanted to focus on the simple fact that there were allegations of domestic violence.
In regards to this Trent Brown situation…as much as I love the Raiders there is no way they should excuse a man putting his hands on a woman. If these accusations are true he shouldn’t be on the team.
— D (@HennessyD_) October 16, 2019
Whether or not the Patriots paid Trent Brown a considerable amount of money to make him a member of the Silver and Black, there is a vocal majority of Raiders fans that simply don’t care about the investment. They want Brown out of the Bay Area if the allegations are true.
If he is innocent, however, the fans want the big tackle to remain with the team and in the starting lineup. Due process is critical in this situation.
Trent Brown is one of the #Raiders best players & one of my favorites.
— Kris Wysong (@KrisWysong) October 16, 2019
That carries zero weight with allegations of DV, like the ones in today’s disturbing PFT story.
Due process, we’ll see what comes out, hopefully it’s all false! But if he did all that, I’d want him gone.
Due process is important in situations involving serious allegations. With this news of Brown being sued, there were two immediate reactions. Some wanted to automatically kick the tackle out of the league while others wanted to wait for the investigations to take place.
For many fans of the Oakland Raiders, the most important thing is that the team makes the right decision once Brown is either proven innocent or guilty. If he did commit the alleged acts of violence, they want him off the team.
You want proof the national media only cares about the #Patriots and trying to accelerate their downfall? Just look at the headline of this article. THE MAN PLAYS FOR THE RAIDERS!
— Matt DaCøsta (@theproteinpapi) October 16, 2019
Report: Former Patriot Trent Brown Sued for Domestic Violence https://t.co/ZJfpSjMhRS
For many individuals on social media, the actual allegations were slightly less important on Wednesday than the details in the news stories about Trent Brown. This included his current and previous employment status. Is he a current Oakland Raider or a former New England Patriot?
For many, the belief is that the national media was actually finding ways to attack the Patriots and make the team look bad. Whether or not this was accurate has not been determined, but many football fans have no doubt in their minds about the intentions of the authors.
People suggesting Trent Brown should be instantly cut are no better than those who flat out calling her a liar.
— Ryan Hurst (@Raider_Ryan1) October 16, 2019
We know half a story, let the justice system play its roll. #Raiders
Is Trent Brown guilty or is he innocent? There are many on social media that have already made their final decisions about the matter. They have either referred to the plaintiff as someone in search of a big payday or have called for the Raiders to cut ties with the tackle.
Of course, that is only a vocal minority. The primary response from many football fans is that no one knows the entire story. They want the legal situation to play out before making any determinations.