The Patriots likely aren't thrilled that Antonio Brown and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, failed to disclose the rape allegations against the receiver before he signed with the team last week.
In fact, Patriots owner Robert Kraft wouldn't have signed off on Brown had he known about the recently surfaced accusations, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported Sunday morning, citing a source.
Brown’s former trainer, Britney Taylor, claims in a lawsuit that the receiver sexually assaulted her on three separate occasions. She'll reportedly meet with the NFL this week in its investigation of Brown, who landed with the Patriots after the Raiders granted his request to be released.
ESPN's Jeff Darlington also reported Sunday that Brown started settlement talks with Taylor in April, when he was with the Raiders, but he allowed the deadline to pass without signing an agreement.
Antonio Brown entered into settlement discussions in April, which included mediation in May, culminating in a deadline last Sunday night to sign a monetary agreement that would end the sexual assault claims against him. He chose not to sign it.
More from Sunday NFL Countdown: pic.twitter.com/ybuPxivyuf— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) September 15, 2019
The Patriots have a history of avoiding players with a history of violence against women. The team famously cut fifth-round pick Christian Peter one week after the 1996 NFL Draft, after learning more information about his criminal record involving inappropriate conduct with women.
Kraft and his son, Jonathan, had an on-field meeting with Rosenhaus minutes before Sunday’s game in Miami kicked off.
Robert and Jonathan Kraft summit with Antonio Brown’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus. pic.twitter.com/z6BDp8bU9C
— Tom E. Curran (@tomecurran) September 15, 2019
[RELATED: NFL rumors: Steelers rejected Patriots' huge AB trade offer]
It’s hard to imagine the Patriots' front office would be happy with Brown keeping the allegations under wrap, so this story likely is far from over. It appears the Raiders' front office didn't know about the allegations, either.
Despite the off-field turmoil, though, Brown lived up to the hype on the field in his New England debut Sunday, with four catches for 56 yards and one touchdown in a 43-0 win over the Dolphins.
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