The next chapter of the Antonio Brown chronicle could unfold quickly.
According to Yahoo Sports, which cited a source familiar with the league’s talks, the NFL would prefer to move "quickly" in determining if the Patriots receiver should be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list after he was accused in a civil lawsuit of sexual assault and rape.
Brown practiced with the Patriots on Wednesday after signing a one-year deal with New England on Monday, and coach Bill Belichick told reporters ahead of the workout that the team is taking things "one day at a time" as he diverted questions about Brown's status for Week 2 against the Dolphins.
Yahoo Sports added, per two sources familiar with talks between the franchise and league security officials, the Patriots and the NFL were unaware that a potential lawsuit against Brown was brewing.
The sources also declined to speculate on knowledge the Raiders or Steelers might have had before letting Brown go.
Brown and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, on the other hand, had reason to believe that something was in the works.
"Antonio and I had been unfortunately anticipating this possibility," Rosenhaus said during his Wednesday appearance on ESPN.
Rosenhaus described the lawsuit as "a money grab," adding, "These allegations are false. He denies every one of them.""I wouldn't be doing this interview if I didn't believe Antonio. These allegations are false. He denies every one of them."
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 11, 2019
—Drew Rosenhaus on the accusations against his client, Antonio Brown pic.twitter.com/CXUHb8ySUj
Brown has been accused of sexually assaulting his former trainer, Britney Taylor, in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in the Southern District of Florida. The lawsuit alleges there were three separate incidents, two of which occurred in June 2017. Taylor alleges in the suit she was "forcibly raped" by Brown in the other incident, which took place in May 2018.
Brown's attorney, Darren Heitner, denied "each and every allegation in the lawsuit" in a statement on Twitter and ESPN reported Brown is planning to countersue.
The NFL has yet to comment on the situation, but the Patriots released a statement saying the league informed the team it will launch an investigation.
"We are aware of the civil lawsuit that was filed earlier today against Antonio Brown, as well as the response by Antonio's representatives," the Patriots said in a statement. "We take these allegations very seriously. Under no circumstance does this organization condone sexual violence or assault. The league has informed us that they will be investigating. We will have no further comment while that investigation takes place."