Report: Antonio Brown Accuser Says He Sent Her 'Intimidating' Texts After SI Story
BOSTON (CBS) – The woman who accused New England Patriots receiver Antonio Brown of sexual misconduct in a 2017 incident now reportedly claims Brown sent her "intimidating" texts this week after her story appeared in Sports Illustrated.
In a new article published early Friday, the magazine reported the woman's lawyer wants the NFL and the Patriots to do something about it.
In the original SI story released Monday, the woman said she was hired by Brown in 2017 to paint a mural in his home outside of Pittsburgh, but was fired when she rejected his sexual advances.
According to the SI report Friday, Brown allegedly included the woman in a series of text messages sent Wednesday night "claiming she was only out for money, asking others to look into her background, and including a photo of her kids."
The woman's lawyer sent a letter to the NFL on Thursday evening, according to the report, and included screen shots of the messages.
New tonight: Antonio Brown sent our source from Monday's story menacing group text messages, including a picture of her children with instructions for his associates to investigate her.
— robertklemko (@RobertKlemko) September 20, 2019
Her lawyer wrote the NFL calling for the intimidation to stop. https://t.co/rCTM8WSI6Z pic.twitter.com/QtONzBf7Ig
In a separate incident, Brown's former trainer has accused him of sexual assault and rape in a civil lawsuit filed last week. Brown denied those allegations through his attorney.
The NFL is looking into that matter, interviewing Brown's accuser for 10 hours on Monday. It's possible that Brown could end up on the commissioner's exempt list at some point in the future, which would make him ineligible to play for the Patriots.
Brown briefly broke his media silence on Thursday afternoon, before the latest SI report came out, answering just four questions in the Patriots locker room.
Asked if he's heard from the league regarding his availability during their investigation into sexual assault claims by his former trainer, Brown declined to answer.
"I appreciate that question, and I'm just here to focus on football," he said. "Looking forward to getting out there in the home stadium and being with the team."
Brown debuted for the Patriots last weekend against the Dolphins, catching four passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. The league's investigation into Brown's civil lawsuit will reportedly take weeks, so the receiver is expected to make his Gillette Stadium debut on Sunday when the Patriots host the New York Jets.
UPDATE: The Patriots released Antonio Brown from their roster on Friday afternoon.