Is The NFL Going To Ban Patriots Star Antonio Brown?
Is the NFL going to ban New England Patriots star Antonio Brown?
That is the question folks are asking Wednesday after Brown was accused of rape in a civil suit.
Brown, 31, is said to have sexually assaulted his former trainer, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in the Southern District of Florida.
“We are aware of the civil lawsuit that was filed earlier today against Antonio Brown, as well as the response by Antonio’s representatives,” the Patriots said in a statement on Tuesday night.
“We take these allegations very seriously. Under no circumstances does this organization condone sexual violence or assault.
“The league has informed us that they will be investigating. We will have no further comment while that investigation takes place.”
This is just the latest and most serious issue to surround Brown over the past year.
Beginning with him essentially forcing his way off the Pittsburgh Steelers and ending with him forcing his way from the Raiders to the Patriots, he has been a huge headache for all involved.
At what point does the NFL step in and say that the guy is just more trouble than he’s worth from a PR standpoint?
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL is jumping into the fray when it comes to reigning in Brown, but the first step may be putting him on the Commissioner’s Exempt list.
If the name of that list sounds familiar, it is probably because the likes of Michael Vick, Greg Hardy, Adrian Peterson and Josh Brown have all been on it – albeit for different reasons.
The NFL is “beginning it’s process right now, because the NFL did not know about this. It was unaware of this particular situation until tonight…” – Adam Schefter
Also mentioned people around the NFL wondered if Antonio Brown could be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list pic.twitter.com/ZC1toleEpR
— #BOOMIN (@ftbeard_17) September 11, 2019
“The Exempt List is a special player status available to clubs only in unusual circumstances,” notes the NFL manual.
“The List includes those players who have been declared by the Commissioner to be temporarily exempt from counting within the Active List limit.
“Only the Commissioner has the authority to place a player on the Exempt List; clubs have no such authority, and no exemption, regardless of circumstances, is automatic.
“The Commissioner also has the authority to determine in advance whether a player’s time on the Exempt List will be finite or will continue until the Commissioner deems the exemption should be lifted and the player returned to the Active List.”
Schefter also noted that the NFL is “beginning its process right now, because the NFL did not know about this. It was unaware of this particular situation until tonight…”
What does all that mean? It means in the next few weeks, Roger Goodell will step in and do something about Brown.
And if history regarding how Goodell treats Patriots players has taught us anything – all involved better get ready for Brown to sit out for a little while.
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Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
