Federal judge Rodney Smith reportedly assigned to Antonio Brown case

Share

Antonio Brown could be in for a lengthy legal battle, and we now know the players involved.

Federal judge Rodney Smith has been assigned to the civil lawsuit filed against the New England Patriots wide receiver Tuesday in the Southern District of Florida, ESPN's Josina Anderson reported Wednesday.

Brown's former trainer, Britney Taylor, has accused the NFL star of sexually assaulting her on three separate occasions between 2017 and 2018. Brown has denied all allegations via his attorney and reportedly plans to countersue Taylor, so this case may not be resolved in the near future.

Some background on Smith: He's a Miami native (like Brown) who attended Florida A&M University before earning his law degree from Michigan State. (Brown, for what it's worth, attended Central Michigan.)

President Donald Trump appointed Smith as a federal judge in June, where he's served in the Southern District of Florida ever since.

The timeline of Brown's case still is unclear, but the NFL reportedly will consider placing the 31-year-old Patriots receiver on the commissioner's exempt list as his legal situation gets sorted out.

Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.

Contact Us