The New England Patriots released Antonio Brown on Friday, ending his brief but turbulent tenure with the team as the NFL was investigating him for multiple accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior, including rape.
"The New England Patriots are releasing Antonio Brown," the team said in a statement. "We appreciate the hard work of many people over the past 11 days, but we feel that it is best to move in a different direction at this time."
Cathy Lanier, the NFL's chief of security, was scheduled to meet Friday with a woman who said she endured unwelcome sexual advances from Antonio Brown two years ago. This week, the woman accused the wide receiver of sending her texts she found intimidating.
The meeting, according to Debra S. Katz, one of the woman's lawyers, was arranged "to ensure that my client's safety concerns are being addressed and to preserve electronic evidence." NFL officials also spoke with the woman's lawyers, Katz and Lisa J. Banks, on Friday morning.
The release capped a stormy period for one of the NFL's marquee franchises and Brown, who was accused of rape in a federal lawsuit filed by Britney Taylor last week. Taylor spoke with NFL officials earlier this week.
Brown, who has denied the accusations from both women through his lawyer, posted about his release on social media, saying "Thank you for the opportunity" to the Patriots on Twitter.
Brown's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said in a statement that it was "unfortunate things didn't work out with the Patriots" but that "Antonio is healthy and is looking forward to his next opportunity in the NFL."
The release came several hours after Patriots coach Bill Belichick abruptly ended a news conference after reporters asked multiple questions about Brown. He declined to answer them.
The text messages, first reported by Sports Illustrated, were sent Wednesday night by a number Brown used to initially communicate with the woman two years ago. They were sent to a group that included Brown's lawyer, Darren Heitner, and seemed to encourage a third party to research the woman's history. The texts included a photograph of her children.
Brown was instructed by the league and the Patriots to cease communicating with the woman, according to a statement from Katz and Banks.
"The NFL advised us that the Patriots directed Brown to have no further contact with our client, either directly or through his associates," they said. "The NFL also advised us that it contacted Mr. Brown's representative and reiterated that Mr. Brown was to cease and desist efforts to contact or intimidate our client."
The woman, an artist, had told Sports Illustrated this week that while she was working on a mural at Brown's house in 2017, he approached her from behind while naked, holding a hand towel over his genitals. She was later fired, she said.
In a letter sent to the NFL Thursday evening by the woman's lawyers, the artist also said Brown had sex with another woman while she was working on the mural in the same room.
Brown's tumult spanned three franchises and was marked by issues large and small -- none as serious as the rape allegations.
He was sent from the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he played for nine years, seven of them as a Pro Bowler, to the Raiders in the offseason.
He then missed much of training camp with blistered feet, apparently caused by a cryogenic therapy chamber. Next came a dispute over his helmet, with Brown preferring a decade-old model that is no longer approved for use. He lost a grievance about the matter.
Unhappy, Brown was very active on social media throughout the Raiders' preseason, posting a letter from the team about his fines for missing practice as well as a phone conversation with his coach.
An altercation with his general manager, Mike Mayock, and a plea from Brown for his release, helped bring an end of his brief time with Oakland. The Patriots swooped in to acquire him as a free agent within hours.
In his debut for New England last Sunday, Brown caught four passes, including one for a touchdown, in a 43-0 win over the Dolphins.
On Thursday, Nike said it had terminated its contract with Brown. He also lost a contract with Xenith, the helmet manufacturer.
Sports on 09/21/2019