To the surprise of many, Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown suited up for his new team's game against the Dolphins on Sunday despite the fact that he was accused of exploitation, sexual assault and rape in a civil lawsuit filed Tuesday.
Which begs the question: Why would the NFL allow a player with such serious accusations attached to him be on the field before the matter is addressed via a league investigation? The simple answer: Because, at this point, the NFL doesn't know what else to do, and the Patriots are letting the league act first on Brown.
The plaintiff in the lawsuit against Brown, 28-year-old Britney Taylor, alleges the 31-year-old receiver sexually assaulted her on three occasions in 2017 and 2018, with the third incident escalating to rape. But because this is a civil lawsuit, and because Brown is not facing criminal charges related to the incident, the nature of the case is such that it's simply Taylor's word against Brown's, who has denied the allegations.
MORE: What to know about the lawsuit against Antonio Brown
In turn, the NFL and the Patriots also are operating solely on one person's word vs. another person's word. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has the power to place Brown on the exempt list, which essentially would put the receiver on paid leave and keep him off the field while the league investigates the accusations.
At this point in the NFL's investigation, though, Goodell apparently does not feel like he has enough evidence against Brown to support such a move.
Goodell can place Brown on the exempt list at any point, and the NFL reportedly is scheduled to meet with Taylor on Monday as part of its investigation. It's possible that Goodell feels he needs to meet with Taylor before he can warrant putting Brown on the exempt list despite the fact that the commissioner can place Brown on the list if "an investigation leads the commissioner to believe that a player may have violated" the league's personal conduct policy.
Goodell does not need to see criminal charges or a conviction to place a player on the list.
While Goodell previously has placed players under investigation for criminal acts on the exempt list, it has never been used for a player who's the subject of a civil suit.
As for Brown's playing status moving forward this season, a placement on the commissioner exempt list would be indefinite. An investigation could last months or longer. If the NFL at the conclusion of that investigation decides Brown violated the policy via "sexual assault involving physical force," the minimum suspension is six games without pay.
For now, the Patriots are taking a "wait and see" approach, allowing the NFL to make the first move when it comes to possible disciplinary actions for Brown.