Penn. DA Unable To Open Criminal Investigation Into Antonio Brown Due To Statute Of Limitations
FOXBORO (CBS) – The Allegheny County District Attorney's office in Pennsylvania said it cannot open a criminal investigation into sexual assault allegations made against Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown in a civil lawsuit due to the statute of limitations.
Brown is accused of sexual assault in a civil lawsuit filed last week. His former trainer, Britney Taylor, said Brown assaulted her on three occasions.
According to one of the allegations in the lawsuit, Taylor was sexually assaulted by Brown during a training trip to Pittsburgh, which led to a potential criminal investigation by the Allegheny County District Attorney. After contacting Taylor's attorney, prosecutors determined they could not open an investigation because the alleged Pittsburgh incident happened in 2017.
"Our office, along with the Allegheny County Police Department, made contact with counsel for the plaintiff in the federal lawsuit involving Antonio Brown. Procedurally, it appears there is a statute of limitations issue in moving forward with any inquiry involving the Allegheny County allegation mentioned in the lawsuit," the DA said in a statement on Wednesday.
CBS Boston does not ordinarily name the alleged victims of sex assault, however, through her attorney, Taylor released a public statement which included her name. She was also identified in the federal lawsuit.
Brown made his Patriots debut in Week 2 against the Dolphins. He scored a touchdown in his first game with New England.
Taylor met with NFL officials for 10 hours on Monday as the league attempts to determine if Brown will remain eligible to play in the immediate future. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reported that the league's investigation is "a long way from being resolved," and "it might be several weeks until the NFL has any updates."
