Will Antonio Brown Play This Week for New England Patriots?

Antonio Brown signed with the New England Patriots on Monday. However, Brown found out on Tuesday that he’s been hit with a lawsuit that accuses him of sexually assaulting and raping a former trainer. So the question is will Brown be able to play on Sunday when the Patriots face the Miami Dolphins?

Adam Schefter of ESPN was on The Greg Hill Show on WEEI radio in Boston on Wednesday morning and said there’s a chance Brown practices with the team on Wednesday. And if that happens, Brown should be able to play on Sunday.

“The NFL has an investigation to conduct, and I guess the Patriots are going to defer the league,” Schefter said. “I would imagine when they go out to practice, Antonio Brown would be out there. Again, it’s a fluid situation, but I’d guess he’d be out there.”

Schefter went on to say the Patriots will go about their business and let the NFL handle it: “New England found out about it (Tuesday night). Obviously, Bill Belichick is going to make a decision about what he thinks is right,” Schefter added. “… I think with a civil lawsuit, the Patriots seem to have handed it off to the NFL. … Based off of that, I’m interpreting he’ll be out there, and if he’s out there today, you’d think he plays Sunday unless something turns up.”

The lawsuit claims that Brown assaulted a woman named Britney Taylor on three separate occasions. Taylor claimed she met Brown while they were attending Central Michigan University and they were both members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes group.

Browns lawyers released a statement as soon as the lawsuit was filed.

“Mr. Brown denies each and every allegation in the lawsuit. He will pursue all legal remedies to not only clear his name, but to also protect other professional athletes against false accusations,” the statement read. “Mr. Brown was approached by his accuser in 2017, shortly after Mr. Brown signed a contract making him the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL.”

This is just one of the many incidents Brown has dealt with this offseason. From injuring his feet to getting into a fight with Oakland Raiders general manager Mike Mayock, Brown is having a hard time staying out of trouble this year.