A timeline of Antonio Brown’s tenure with the Patriots
Brown was released Friday.
Wide receiver Antonio Brown was released by the Patriots Friday afternoon, capping his brief and tumultuous tenure in New England.Here’s a look at his past 14 days:
Day 1: Saturday, Sept. 7
Hours after Brown was released by the Oakland Raiders, news broke that the Patriots would be acquiring the 31-year-old wide receiver. The one-year deal was reportedly worth $15 million, including a $9 million signing bonus. Brown celebrated by sharing several posts on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2IZx5XB8Sg/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=dlfix
Day 2: Sunday, Sept. 8
The Patriots, demonstrating their dominance as constructed, thumped the Pittsburgh Steelers, 33-3, in their season opener. Brown touched down at TF Green Airport in Warwick, R.I. earlier that morning, although he was not eligible to suit up for the game, nor was he permitted on the sidelines at Gillette Stadium. He nevertheless drove much of the postgame conversation, with former teammate, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, dismissing the question and Patriots players expressing excitement. During the pregame broadcast Sunday night, NBC play-by-play broadcaster Al Michaels said Brown’s agent Drew Rosenhaus told him that quarterback Tom Brady had offered Brown a place to stay — his Brookline home — while he gets acclimated. Brady never confirmed whether Brown moved in.
Day 3: Monday, Sept. 9
The Patriots formally announced the addition of Brown to the 53-man roster. Brown documented a 7 a.m. trip to Gillette Stadium on his Instagram story, but he was not in the locker room during the media-access period later that afternoon. Brown also did not yet have a nameplate in the locker room. During the “Monday Night Football” broadcast, Brady told Jim Gray in his weekly Westwood One interview that he enjoyed meeting Brown earlier in the day. Brady said the two planned to meet as much as they possibly could in order to develop the necessary quarterback-receiver chemistry.
Day 4: Tuesday, Sept. 10
The players had an off day. Coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels addressed the media, but stayed mum on whether Brown would play in New England’s Week 2 matchup against the Miami Dolphins. “We’re going to try to throw it where we’re supposed to throw it and we don’t try to force the ball anywhere or to anybody because that’s not necessarily the way we do it,” said McDaniels. Later that evening, the New York Timesreported that Brown had been accused of rape and sexual assault by his former trainer Britney Taylor. Brown’s legal team denied the allegations, which were filed in a civil lawsuit in the Southern District of Florida. The Patriots issued a statement that night, saying they are taking the accusations “very seriously” and will have no further comment.
Day 5: Wednesday, Sept. 11
Belichick’s press conference abruptly came to an end, after repeated questions about Brown’s status with the team. Belichick showed no interest in discussing the matter, as he shut down multiple queries before walking away from the podium. Brown practiced with the team for the first time, wearing No. 1 — a temporary number that cannot be worn in games. Following practice, Brady had no comment on the allegations against Brown. He kept his remarks general when speaking about his experience working with Brown. “There’s a lot to learn,” Brady said. “Coming in at this time of year, I would say, is challenging, but that’s just the situation. It happens a lot throughout the NFL. Different players change teams and so forth.”
Day 6: Thursday, Sept. 12
Brown returned to practice, this time wearing No. 17. A week later, he posted a YouTube video explaining that he chose the number in honor of his father, Eddie, who had a prolific 10-season career in the AFL.
After practice, Brown also stopped by Brady’s TB12 Sports Therapy Center for a workout with body coach Alex Guerrero.
Day 7: Friday, Sept. 13
Belichick remained cagey regarding Brown’s status against the Dolphins. The decision would be up to the Patriots, as the NFL elected not to place Brown on the commissioner’s exempt list.
Day 8: Saturday, Sept. 14
Brown traveled with the team to Miami.
Day 9: Sunday, Sept. 15
Brown made his Patriots debut in his hometown, in front of friends and family. He finished with four receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown en route to a 43-0 shutout win. All of Brown’s catches came in the first half. He was targeted four times in the second but failed to connect with Brady, who called the game “a good start.” After the game, Brown did not speak to the media, which is a punishable offense according to league rules. It is unknown whether Brown was fined for his actions.
Day 10: Monday, Sept. 16
The NFL met with Taylor for 10 hours as part of its investigation into the rape and sexual assault allegations against Brown.
Also on Monday, Sports Illustrated published a report detailing Brown’s history of problematic behavior, including unpaid debts, multiple domestic incidents, and another account of sexual misconduct. Via his lawyer, Brown denied the previously untold claim of sexual misconduct.
Day 11: Tuesday, Sept. 17
Players had an off day.
Day 12: Wednesday, Sept. 18
The Boston Globeis first to report
Brown is no longer a Nike athlete.
Day 13: Thursday, Sept. 19
Brown attended practice and was spotted working one-on-one with Brady on the sidelines. After practice, he spoke to the media for the first time as a Patriot, fielding four questions for about one minute. Brown sidestepped any inquiries about his standing with league, only sharing how grateful he is for the opportunity to play for Belichick and with Brady.
Asked specifically if he’s heard anything from the NFL, Brown said, “I’m just here to focus on ball and look forward to getting out there in the home stadium and being with the team.”
Sports Illustrated reported late Thursday night that Brown sent his second accuser intimidating text messages after she shared her account of sexual misconduct with the magazine. SI included screenshots of some of Brown’s text messages in its report.
The woman’s lawyer sent a letter to the NFL and claimed Brown’s actions violated the league’s personal conduct policy.
Day 14: Friday, Sept. 20
Belichick once again cut his press conference short, after repeated questions about Brown’s status with the team. Asked if he expected to have Brown available against the New York Jets this Sunday, Belichick responded, “He’s on our roster.”
“There are some things that we’re looking into, but I’m not going to have any comment on any of the off-the-field situations or questions on that,” Belichick said. “Anything on football, I’m happy to answer.”
Brown practiced with the team and was a full participant.
A few hours later, he tweeted a cryptic message thanking the Patriots.
Thank you for the opportunity @Patriots #GoWinIt
— AB (@AB84) September 20, 2019
The team announced shortly after that they had released Brown.
“We appreciate the hard work of many people over the past 11 days, but we feel that it is best to move in a different direction at this time,” read the statement.
