On Tuesday New England Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown was accused of rape in a lawsuit filed by a former Central Michigan University gymnast.
The suit says in 2017, Antonio Brown reached out to Britney Taylor and asked her to start training him. Brown first met Taylor nearly a decade ago back when they attended Central Michigan University.
According to the lawsuit, Taylor was training Brown on and off from June of 2017 until May of 2018.
Over the course of that time, the lawsuit cites three different instances of sexual misconduct:
On a training trip in June 2017, the lawsuit says Taylor was changing in an upstairs bathroom when “Brown walked in with his penis exposed” and then “kissed her without her consent.”
The next instance occurred later that month, when Taylor and Brown were watching a church service online. Taylor was watching the sermon when “Brown began masturbating behind her. Before she knew it or understood what was happening, Brown ejaculated on her.”
After that instance, the lawsuit says Taylor cut off contact with Brown. In February of 2018, Brown apologized to Taylor and asked her to train him again. After many conversations, Taylor said she agreed to come back in April after requesting Brown stop flirting with her, according to the lawsuit.
After they resumed training, the lawsuit says Brown raped Taylor at his Miami residence during May of 2018.
According to a statement from Taylor, she decided to speak up now because “Speaking out removes the shame that I have felt for the past year and places it on the person responsible for my rape”.
Brown’s response statement acknowledged that the events happened, but claimed the “two engaged in consenual sex.”
Former Mecosta County Prosecutor and Big Rapids Attorney, James Samuels, said with sexual assault cases survivors often have to face stigma.
“Part of the problem is the stigma often associated with it, especially when a suspect claims it was consensual or it just didn’t happen, implying or outright saying that this complainant is a liar.”
Samuels said another challenge in many assault cases is a lack of physical evidence. He said the absence of physical evidence, like a rape kit, can be problematic for the prosecution but “it is not the be-all, end-all,
The lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of Florida. According to Florida statues, a survivor's statement does not need to be supported by any physical evidence to convict a suspect.
Brown is currently playing with the New England Patriots. A statement from the team said they will be taking the allegations “very seriously”. The statement also said the NFL will be conducting its own investigation into the allegations.