New England Patriots receiver Antonio Brown attended practice with the team for the first time on Wednesday, a day after his former trainer filed a civil lawsuit in Florida accusing him of sexually assaulting her on three occasions.
Coach Bill Belichick declined to answer additional questions about Brown before the practice session, including his status for Sunday’s game at Miami. He deferred to the Patriots’ statement late Tuesday in which they said they were aware of the lawsuit and “take these allegations very seriously.” Belichick said, “Antonio and his representatives have made statements, so I’m not going to be expanding on any of those. They are what they are. We’ve looked into the situation. We’re taking it very seriously all the way through the organization. I’m sure there are questions, but I’m not going to enter into a discussion about that.”
Brown has denied the allegations; and his attorney, Darren Heitner, told The Associated Press his client plans to countersue. The NFL has declined comment but will be opening an investigation into the matter.
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