Antonio Brown dodges sexual assault charges in Pennsylvania due to statute of limitations

Due to a statute of limitations issue, New England Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown will not be prosecuted in Pennsylvania for an alleged 2017 sexual assault referenced in a recent lawsuit against the NFL star.

However, he could still face charges in Florida, where his accuser claims he raped her in 2018.

In a lawsuit filed last week, Brown’s former trainer Britney Trainer accused the former Pittsburgh Steeler of two instances of sexual assault in 2017, one of which occurred in his Pennsylvania residence, as well as the 2018 rape that allegedly happened at his home in Miami.

Taylor’s attorney met prosecutors and police, who explained that the statute of limitations had expired on the alleged 2017 sexual assault in Pennsylvania.

‘Our office, along with the Allegheny County Police Department, made contact with counsel for the plaintiff in the federal lawsuit involving Antonio Brown,’ read a statement from the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office. ‘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.’

Brown’s attorney Darren Heitner declined to comment to the Daily Mail on the possibility his client could face rape charges in Florida.  

The NFL is conducting an investigation into the accusations against Brown. Taylor and her representatives met with the league on Monday to discuss her lawsuit. 

Brown has remained active with the Patriots, scoring a touchdown in his debut for New England last Sunday. 

Through his attorney, Brown has denied the accusations and claims that his past sexual interactions with his accuser were part of a ‘consensual personal relationship.’

According to the lawsuit filed last week, Taylor says she was hired by Brown as a personal trainer in 2017 – alleging that first instance of sexual assault took place during a training session that June.

Taylor, a gymnast who first met Brown while they were both studying at Central Michigan University, says the 31-year-old ‘exposed himself and kissed [her] without consent,’ according to documents obtained by DailyMail.com.

She also described a second alleged incident ‘later that same month’, in which Brown is said to have stood behind her and masturbated while she was watching television. Unaware of what he was doing, Taylor said she was surprised when Brown then ‘ejaculated on her back,’ according to the lawsuit.

Filed in federal court in Florida, the lawsuit claims Brown bragged to Taylor about carrying out the purported assault in ‘profane and angry text messages.’

As a result, Taylor, 28, ended her working relationship with Brown. However, several months later, when the Patriot’s wide receiver contacted her and ‘begged for forgiveness,’ she agreed to relent, ‘swayed by his assurance that he would cease any sexual advances’.

But on May 20, 2018, Taylor says Brown assaulted her once more, this time pinning her only a bed, pushing her face into a mattress and ‘forcibly’ raping her.

Taylor said she tried to escape Brown’s hold, repeatedly screaming ‘no and stop’ at him, but Brown was ‘too strong and physically overpowered her.’

According to the documents, Brown then refused to get off of her and then penetrated her.

‘As a rape victim of Antonio Brown, deciding to speak out has been an incredibly difficult decision,’ Taylor said in a statement released by her lawyer. ‘I have found strength in my faith, my family, and from the accounts of other survivors of sexual assault.’

Since Taylor’s accusations have come to light, a second woman is now claiming to have been sexually harassed by Brown in 2017. The unidentified woman told Sports Illustrated that Brown hired her to paint a mural at his Pennsylvania residence in 2017, where he disrobed and approached her while wearing only a hand towel over his genitals.

Brown’s attorney has also denied the unidentified artist’s allegations.

The woman is not suing or pressing charges, nor did she permit SI to reveal her identity in Monday’s report.

She claims that in 2017, after Brown hosted a charity softball game to benefit the National Youth Foundation, he offered the winning bid on a portrait of himself, which she had painted.

He then invited her to work at his home, painting the mural of himself for $1,000 a day.

It was on the second day that the woman says she was approached by a naked Brown, who was covering his penis with a hand towel.

‘He was flirty with me but I paid him no mind because I was there on business, plus, I had already seen him with multiple girls in the short time I was with him,’ she said. ‘I was about 40 percent done on the second day, and I’m on my knees painting the bottom, and he walks up to me butt-ass naked, with a hand cloth covering his [penis] and starts having a conversation with me.

‘Unfortunately, I’ve been tried [by men] a lot of times, so I just kept my cool and kept painting,’ she continued. ‘After that, it all ended abruptly.’

Brown previously played for the Pittsburgh Steelers until the end of last season, when he was benched after reportedly quarreling with teammates.

He was then traded to the Oakland Raiders, who gave him a three-year, $50 million contract, making him the NFL’s highest-paid receiver.

However, Brown’s tenure in Oakland was brief, as he was cut on September 7 after getting into a heated argument with general manager Mike Mayock over fines he accrued while sitting out of training camp during a dispute with the NFL over his helmet.

Brown found a new model to replace his old one, which the NFL had banned. However, he quickly demanded his release from the team when he learned that the Raiders used his argument with Mayock as an excuse to void the guarantees in his contract, citing conduct detrimental to the team.

The Raiders quickly gave Brown his unconditional release, and hours later he signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the Patriots.

The NFL Network previously reported that the Patriots were unaware of the allegations, and would not have signed Brown if they knew he was being accused of rape.

In an interview with ESPN last week, Brown’s agent Drew Rosenhaus declined to say if he discussed the allegations during negotiations with the Patriots, but did say that he and Brown were aware of the possibility of a lawsuit. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk