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Antonio Brown‘s tenure with the New England Patriots officially began on Sunday, taking the field against the Miami Dolphins after being accused of rape and sexual assault by his former trainer.
Prior to game day, there were questions of whether or not the Patriots would play the 31-year old, but his impact was felt as soon as he touched the field.
On the game’s opening drive, Brown was targeted heavily by quarterback Tom Brady catching three passes. In the second quarter, he would catch his first touchdown of the season and punctuated the score by driving into a small crowd of New England fans in the stands. Brown finished with four catches for 56 yards and a touchdown.
READ MORE: Antonio Brown speaks out after explosive rape allegations from his former trainer
According to CNN, Brown’s off-the-field battle will continue with his accuser, Britney Taylor, set to meet with NFL officials this week.
In a lawsuit filed three days after the wide receiver joined the Patriots, Taylor stated Brown sexually assaulted her three times over several years. Taylor says that she finally decided to come forward to “remove the shame that I have felt for the past year and place it on the person responsible for my rape.”
According to ESPN, Brown refused to provide Taylor with $2 million agreement in hush money to make her accusations go away. As a result, Taylor filed the civil suit last Tuesday against Brown claiming that he sexually assaulted her on three occasions in 2017 and 2018.
Brown and Taylor first met in 2010 as Bible study partners at Central Michigan University where they were both part of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. According to the civil suit, Brown first exposed himself and kissed Taylor without her permission in June 2017. He then sexually assaulted her after masturbating behind Taylor and ejaculated on her back. According to Taylor, Brown tried to apologize several months later and she believed him. The lawsuit states that on May 2018, Brown allegedly raped Taylor after she repeatedly shouted “no” and “stop.”
READ MORE: NFL star Antonio Brown could face criminal charges for rape allegation
“Mr. Brown, whose hard work and dedication to his craft has allowed him to rise to the top of his profession, refuses to be the victim of what he believes to be a money grab,” attorney Darren Heitner said in a statement.
While Brown did suit up Sunday, he could still be punished by the NFL after their investigation is concluded. The NFL will investigate as a part of their policy that includes off-the-field incidents, which is led by veteran prosecutors and investigators. The policy was created after the Ray Rice incident of 2014.
Brown, continues to deny the allegations.
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