New England Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown has been accused of raping a woman who formerly worked as his physical trainer, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday.
The civil complaint filed in the Southern District of Florida alleges Brown sexually assaulted Britney Taylor, a gymnast he met while they attended Central Michigan University together.
The lawsuit, a copy of which has been obtained by the Guardian, accuses Brown of sexually assaulting Taylor on three separate occasions: twice in June 2017 and a third in May 2018.
Taylor alleges in the lawsuit the first incident took place in June 2017, when Brown exposed himself and kissed her without consent during a training session at one of his homes in the Pittsburgh area. The second happened later that month, during a training visit at Brown’s home in Miami, when he allegedly masturbated without her knowledge and ejaculated on her back, later bragging about it in a series of “astonishingly profane and angry text messages”, according to the complaint.
The suit says Taylor then ended her working relationship with Brown only to reconcile several months later, when she was “swayed by his assurance that he would cease any sexual advances”.
The third assault allegedly took place on 20 May 2018, when Brown “forced her down onto a bed, pushed her face into the mattress, and forcibly raped her”, according to the complaint. Taylor attempted to resist him, screaming and repeatedly shouting “no” and “stop”, the complaint says, but Brown refused and penetrated her.
The alleged incidents have left Taylor suffering “near-daily panic attacks and suicidal ideations”, the lawsuit says.
Brown’s attorney, Darren Heitner, said in a statement issued Tuesday night the receiver “denies each and every allegation in the lawsuit” and that he and Taylor were involved in an “entirely consensual” personal relationship.
Heitner said they will pursue “all legal remedies to not only clear [Brown’s] name, but to also protect other professional athletes against false accusations”.
Neither the Patriots or the NFL immediately responded to requests for comment from the Guardian on Tuesday night.
Brown, 31, who became one of the NFL’s most prolific wideouts during a nine-year stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers, officially signed the New England Patriots on Monday following a tumultuous offseason with the Oakland Raiders that prompted his release from the team without having played a single game.
More to follow.