Report: Patriots Are Not Bringing Back Antonio Brown
BOSTON (CBS) -- There have been rumblings over the last several days that the Patriots may be interested in a reunion with Antonio Brown. That will not be happening.
According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, the Patriots will not be resigning the troubled wide receiver. Howe says we can put all those rumors of an AB return to Foxboro to rest.
It does seem like Brown will be back in the NFL at some point in the near future. He met with the NFL for eight hours last week to discuss the civil lawsuit against him for sexual assault, and earlier this week, Brown filed a counter suit against his accuser.
But it was his apology to the Patriots and owner Robert Kraft on social media Tuesday, saying, "Sorry for the bad media and the drama," that fueled rumors of a Patriots comeback. But those rumors have now been put to bed.
Brown, 31, has had an eventful past year, to say the least. He was released by the Patriots a little over a week after signing with the team, and played just one game for New England. Brown caught five passes for 56 yards and a touchdown in their Week 2 win over the Dolphins, before getting into trouble by sending intimidating text messages to a woman who had accused him of committing an unwanted sexual advance. That accusation came after another woman filed a civil lawsuit against Brown, accusing him of sexual assault and rape. That matter remains unresolved, both in court and in the NFL's investigative process.
Brown was only available to sign with the Patriots because he forced his way off the Raiders' roster. Oakland signed Brown to a three-year, $50 million contract with $30 million guaranteed -- or so everybody thought. A summer filled with frostbitten feet, helmet complaints, retirement threats, fights with the GM and pleas to be released led to the Raiders granting the wideout's wishes just before the regular season was set to begin. Oakland also managed to get out of almost all of the money owed to Brown by voiding his guaranteed money.
The Patriots will go forward with a receiving corps of Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu, Phillip Dorsett and rookies N'Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers. That group is a bit banged up, with Sanu reportedly set to miss multiple weeks with a high ankle sprain and Dorsett currently dealing with a concussion.
The Patriots may look into adding another receiver to the mix to bulk up their depth chart, but according to Howe, that receiver will not be Brown.
