SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 / 10:54 PM
Neither the New England Patriots nor the Oakland Raiders were aware of rape allegations involving Antonio Brown until a civil sexual-assault lawsuit was filed by Britney Taylor, ESPN reported Thursday.
Representatives for Brown and Taylor have had discussions over the past few months but agreed to keep those discussions confidential before the suit was filed, sources told ESPN.
The confidentiality agreement could provide an explanation for Brown not notifying the Raiders nor the Patriots before he signed with New England on Monday.
The NFL plans to meet next week with Taylor, according to ESPN. Taylor, Brown’s former trainer, filed the lawsuit with the Southern District of Florida, accusing the wide receiver of sexually assaulting her on three occasions.
—Quarterback Sam Darnold is out indefinitely with mono and will not play Monday when the New York Jets host the Cleveland Browns. But that’s only the beginning of the bad news spreading for New York.
Darnold could wind up missing more than just one game, coach Adam Gase said, and he has already lost weight. The Jets play the New England Patriots in Week 3 before a bye the following week.
Le’Veon Bell played his first NFL game in 20 months last week, and the new Jets running back appeared to hold up fine. Gase said Bell would not practice because of a sore shoulder, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Bell was scheduled for an MRI exam. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported the exam was “mostly precautionary” and didn’t show any major damage or tears.
—Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. accused New York Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams of encouraging “dirty hits” and said the coach’s tactics cost him much of the 2017 season.
Beckham injured his ankle in a 2017 preseason game against the Browns, whose defense was coached by Williams. The receiver, then with the New York Giants, eventually broke the ankle and missed 12 games that year.
“I had players on this team telling me that’s what he was telling them to do: take me out of the game, and it’s preseason,” Beckham told reporters. “So you just know who he is. That’s the man who’s calling the plays.”
Source: Reuters News>
