Antonio Brown settled a civil dispute with former trainer Britney Taylor, who in a 2019 lawsuit accused the broad recipient of sexually assaulting her.
An agreement has been reached, but no terms can be disclosed under the agreement, a source told ESPN’s Jenna Laine.
“Antonio and Britney have been friends for over a decade. They almost became business associates a few years ago. They recently became embroiled in aggressive legal battles. After pondering their relationship, they both believe it is time to move on.” “Antonio is grateful. You are delighted that Antonio does so well with the Bucs and has a ring. Your dispute is settled and they wish you continued success,” Taylor’s attorney David Haas said in a statement.
Brown is currently a free agent after playing for them Tampa Bay privateers last season. General manager Jason Licht said Wednesday the Buccaneers will continue to debate a possible return for Brown.
“We had discussions in the off-season and you can see that we focused on bringing back our players from last year who contributed to our success and he would be no different so we will continue to have talks and see where it’s going, “said light.
Licht noted that the Buccaneers signed Brown last year when his argument with Taylor continued, so the resolution “wasn’t necessarily a determining factor in whether or not we will keep talking.”
In their lawsuit, Taylor said that Brown sexually assaulted her three times in 2017 and 2018. Brown and Taylor had held settlement talks prior to filing this lawsuit. Sources told ESPN’s Jeff Darlington in 2019 that Brown declined to sign an agreement for more than $ 2 million.
brown countered Taylor in 2019 for defamation and interference with his NFL contracts and endorsements.
Brown and Taylor knew each other in Central Michigan before Brown entered the NFL draft in 2010, and documents say the two had fleeting communication from then until 2017.
According to Taylor’s lawsuit, she and Brown met in a Bible study group at the school and became friends. Then they fell out of touch for a few years before reconnecting in June 2017. Brown hired Taylor, who was a gymnast in Central Michigan, to help out with his physical training.
The New England Patriots published Brown in 2019 after the lawsuit was filed. Brown had joined New England after its release by the Raiders earlier that year but only played one game for the Patriots.
The NFL investigated the allegations and suspended Brown for the first eight games of the 2020 season for multiple violations of the NFL’s Code of Conduct.
He signed with the Buccaneers just before their week 9 game against the Buccaneers last season New Orleans Saints. Brown, 32, led the Bucs to get goals for the last five weeks of the regular season and didn’t see a single drop in 2020. He also received a touchdown pass from Tom Brady in the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl LV victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Brown spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and four-time first-team All-Pro.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler contributed to this report.
