Antonio Brown has reportedly lost his endorsement deal with helmet manufacturer Xenith amid a sexual assault investigation.
Last week, Brown was accused of raping and sexually assaulting his former trainer, Britney Taylor, between 2017 and 2018. Taylor has also filed a civil suit against Brown.
According to ESPN football writer Adam Schefter, Xenith parted ways with Brown.
‘We look forward to seeing the Xenith Shadow worn by football athletes at all levels of play this fall,’ the company said, according to Schefter.
Earlier this month, Brown announced that he would be wearing the Xenith Shadow during the 2019 season.
Antonio Brown (pictured wearing the Xenith helmet) has reportedly lost his endorsement deal with helmet manufacturer Xenith after he was accused of sexually assaulting his former trainer, Britney Taylor
Brown, who joined the Patriots last weekend after a tumultuous six months with the Raiders, briefly refused to practice and play after the NFL informed him that he would be unable to wear the Schutt Air Advantage (left, wearing the Schutt helmet)
The Schutt Air Advantage helmet was discontinued after it was no longer certified to meet the league’s safety standards and the Raiders required him to wear the Xenith (pictured). But Brown filed a grievance to be allowed to use his old helmet on August 9
Brown, who joined the Patriots last weekend after a tumultuous six months with the Raiders, briefly refused to practice and play after the NFL informed him that he would be unable to wear the Schutt Air Advantage.
The Schutt Air Advantage helmet was discontinued after it was no longer certified to meet the league’s safety standards.
But Brown, who had worn the Schutt Air Advantage throughout his entire career, filed a grievance to be allowed to use his old helmet on August 9.
The Raiders then informed him that he would be fined for any unexcused absences.
On September 4, Raiders general manager Mike Mayock fined Brown a combined $54,000 for two unexcused absences. Brown was released from the Raiders and subsequently signed by the Patriots.
Brown, who is eligible to play Sunday when the Patriots visit the Miami Dolphins, was under consideration for the Commissioner’s Exempt List, according to USA Today.
But commissioner Roger Goodell will not enact his authority in the matter at this time. Goodell is reserving the right to place Brown on the exempt list should criminal charges be brought against Brown.
The NFL is currently investigating the sexual assault lawsuit, and for now, the receiver is still allowed to practice and play in games while the probe continues, in accordance with league rules.
But, should officials opt to put him on the list, Brown would essentially be placed on paid leave and would not be eligible until the investigation is concluded.
According to NFL.com, no announcement is likely to be made on Brown before Sunday, clearing the way for him to feature on the roster.
Whether Brown will be active and on the field for the Patriots at Miami after three days of practice is up to Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
Brown (pictured) spoke out publicly for the first time on Thursday since he was accused of sexual assault
His ex-fitness instructor Britney Taylor (pictured) claims he sexually assaulted her on three occasions between 2017 and 2018
In a live video broadcasted on Thursday evening from teammate Tom Brady’s TB12 Sports Therapy Center, Brown said: ‘No matter what they say, no matter what they hate, somebody’s still gotta work,’ Brown told the some 16,000 followers watching the stream
Multiple reports indicate the Patriots were not aware of the civil suit when they agreed to a one-year deal with Brown hours after he was released by the Oakland Raiders.
Brown, 31, inked a reported one-year, $15million deal that includes a $9million signing bonus and a $20million team option for 2020.
After bailing on the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2018 regular-season finale and sitting out Week 1 this year, Brown could play for the first time since December 23 against the Dolphins.
Belichick downplayed Brown’s past, responding to a question about Brown being a disruption with a name from the past that worked out pretty well.
‘That’s the same thing you (the media) said about Randy Moss when we brought him in,’ Belichick said Tuesday.
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala said he will be looking into the sexual assault allegations made against Brown
Brown spoke out publicly for the first time on Thursday since he was accused of sexual assault.
In a live video broadcasted on Instagram from teammate Tom Brady’s TB12 Sports Therapy Center, Brown didn’t reference his accuser directly but did appear to loosely reference the allegations and reiterate his innocence.
‘No matter what they say, no matter what they hate, somebody’s still gotta work,’ Brown told the some 16,000 followers watching the stream.
‘In the time of crisis, all I ask is love, dedication and focus. The devil is going to try to bring you down when you get closer to your goals.
‘The key is: don’t let him.’
The 31-year-old NFL star signed with New England last Saturday, just hours after he made a controversial exit from the Oakland Raiders.
But within two days of the announcement, another followed. This time from the attorney of his former personal trainer, 28-year-old Britney Taylor, who revealed she was suing Brown for allegedly sexually assaulting and raping her.
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala said Wednesday afternoon that his office will ‘take a look’ into claims that Brown sexually assaulted his former fitness instructor on three occasions between 2017 and 2018.
Zappala’s office released a statement saying: ‘This office, as a matter of course, will review information in a federal lawsuit whenever that information references potential criminal activity, even if that activity had not been previously known to law enforcement.’
News of the lawsuit came just two days after Brown signed a contract with the New England Patriots worth $15million
In her lawsuit, Taylor says Brown ‘preyed’ on her ‘kindness’ and ‘religious devotion’ by pretending to share her faith.
She was hired by Brown as a personal trainer in 2017 – alleging the first rape to have taken place during a training session in June that year.
Taylor, a gymnast who first met Brown while they were both studying at Central Michigan University, says the receiver ‘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 while she was watching television, masturbated without her knowledge and then ‘ejaculated on her back’.
In her statement through her attorney, she told DailyMail.com: ‘As a rape victim of Antonio Brown, deciding to speak out has been an incredibly difficult decision.’
According to ESPN, Taylor is due to meet with the NFL next week. She is getting married this week.
‘I have found strength in my faith, my family, and from the accounts of other survivors of sexual assault. Speaking out removes the shame that I have felt for the past year and places it on the person responsible for my rape.
‘I will cooperate with the NFL and any other agencies; however, at this time, I respectfully request that the media please respect my privacy.’
In her lawsuit, Taylor says Brown ‘preyed’ on her ‘kindness’ and ‘religious devotion’ by pretending to share her faith. She was hired by Brown as a personal trainer in 2017 – alleging the first rape to have taken place in during a training session in June that year
Taylor, a gymnast who first met Brown while they were both studying at Central Michigan University, says the receiver ‘exposed himself and kissed [her] without consent,’ according to documents obtained by DailyMail.com
Brown and Taylor during a different training session. She says he once ejaculated on her back after masturbating behind her
These emails, allegedly sent from Brown to Taylor, are included in the lawsuit
She describes three incidents in her lawsuit.
The first was in June 2017 when they were at his home in Pittsburgh. He had not booked her a hotel room, so she was staying with him, she said.
Taylor claims she was getting dressed in an upstairs bathroom when Brown appeared ‘with his penis exposed’.
Brown then ‘grabbed and kissed her without consent,’ the lawsuit says.
She said she was in a relationship with another man at the time and was horrified by Brown’s conduct but that she did not want to lose the professional relationship so decided to keep working with him.
Later that month, the pair were at his home in Florida when, she says, he masturbated behind her while they watched a church service on her iPad.
‘Before she knew it or understood what was happening, Brown ejaculated on her. Taylor said she felt a wet spot on her back then suddenly realized what happened.
‘Thoroughly disgusted, she exclaimed: “Ewww!” Brown, unfazed by her reaction, jokingly responded, “oh ‘B’… you know, I’m sorry” then left the room,’ the lawsuit reads.
She says she phoned her mother who told her to leave immediately and also told his chef. She claims that shortly afterwards, Brown fired her.
He then sent ‘profane and angry messages’ where he mentioned the masturbation and called her a ‘failed gymnast’ who was trying to extort him.
In February 2018, she says he got back in touch to ask her to work for him again, saying she had a ‘great heart’ and ‘cared’ about him unlike others in his circle.
She claims she ignored his first message.
He then sent another message in March, she says, asking her if she hated him and apologizing.
‘I apologize first off with so much going on around me and my actions,’ he allegedly wrote.
She agreed to go back to work with him, she claims, on the condition that he had promised things would be different. She demanded that he stop flirting with her and book her hotel rooms whenever she traveled to work with him.
He agreed and they resumed working together in April 2018, she says.
Taylor claims that at the time, Brown’s life was spiraling into ‘chaos’.
‘Many of the people who worked with him previously had quit, including his chef and another trainer. They could no longer take Brown’s mistreatment and troubling behavior.
‘He was also having trouble balancing the responsibilities he had arising out of his many endorsement deals, including with Campbell’s Soup, Nike, Pepsi, Pizza Hut, AT&T/Direcy TV, and Rite Aid, among others.
‘He showed up late to events he was required to attend for those sponsors or otherwise failed to hold up his contractual obligations,’ the lawsuit reads.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady talks with Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown on the field after an NFL football game in Pittsburgh in October 2016
Her role turned into one of an assistant and she was tasked with booking flights for him, keeping his travel schedule and ‘making sure he arrived at sponsored events on time’, even ‘babysitting his children’.
On May 20, 2018, she claims he raped her after a night out in Miami. She says another football player was present for the night out but does not give their name.
They left the club together and she drove the men back to Brown’s home, she said. She planned to then drive straight to her hotel but went into his home to use the restroom and ‘grab some food in the kitchen’.
She claims he then grabbed her arm and pulled her towards a bedroom, claiming he wanted to talk to her.
‘They chatted for a few minutes, and when Ms. Taylor went to walk out of the room, Brown cornered her and pulled her down on the bed on her stomach, pushing her face down into the mattress.
She attempted to physically resist, but he pinned her down so that she was unable to fight back…As she tried to get away him from him, he allegedly told her: “You know you want this.”
‘She attempted to physically resist, but he pinned her down so that she was unable to fight back,’ the lawsuit reads.
‘She attempted to physically resist, but he pinned her down so that she was unable to fight back…As she tried to get away him from him, he allegedly told her: “You know you want this.”
‘Ms. Taylor pleaded with him, shouting “no” and “stop.” But Brown refused and proceeded with great violence to penetrate her.
‘Ms. Taylor protested and cried the entire time. When Brown finally released her, Ms. Taylor stood up in a state of trauma and shock, crying in front of him,’ the lawsuit reads.
Afterwards, she ran out into the foyer and ‘collapsed’, she said. The next day, she claims she went back to his house to ‘retrieve personal items’ and confront him. He allegedly told her: ‘You made me feel like a real rapist.’
She says that afterwards, she feared she could have become pregnant or contracted an STD.
The pair stopped working together and, she claims, she fell into a deep depression.
ANTONIO BROWN TIMELINE
Antonio Brown’s tenure in Oakland without him playing a single game
2010-2018 – After being picked out of Central Michigan in the 2010 NFL Draft, Antonio Brown becomes a star receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, earning seven Pro Bowl selections
June of 2017 – Brown allegedly exposes his penis to trainer Britney Taylor at his home in Pittsburgh and later, she claims, he masturbated near her without her knowledge or consent before ejaculating on her back
May 20, 2018 – Brown allegedly raped Taylor at his Miami home
October 2018 – Brown is accused in a pair of lawsuits of throwing furniture off the balcony of a South Florida apartment and causing ’emotional distress’ to a two-year-old boy who was nearly hit by the debris
November 2018 – Brown is cited for driving over 100 mph in his Porsche while on his way to a game
December 31, 2018 – A day after Brown missed a game against the rival Cincinnati Bengals with a supposed knee problem, it is revealed he was actually benched following a heated argument with teammates
News of the lawsuit against Brown came just two days after All-Pro wide receiver signed a contract with the New England Patriots worth $15 million
February 6, 2019 – Amid a custody battle, Brown is accused of pushing the mother of his daughter to the ground as she dropped off the child at his Miami home
March 9, 2019 – After demanding a trade, Brown is dealt to the Oakland Raiders, who give him a new three-year, $50 million deal with $30 million in guarantees
August 3, 2019 – In a bizarre incident, Brown ‘burns’ his feet in a cryotherapy session and goes on to miss 10 out of the next 11 training camp practices
August 9, 2019 – Brown files a grievance to be allowed to use his old helmet, which is no longer approved by the NFL. Raiders inform him he will be fined for any unexcused absences
Brown missed a substantial portion of training camp after ‘burning’ his feet during a cryotherapy session
September 4, 2019 – Raiders general manager Mike Mayock fines Brown a combined $54,000 for two unexcused absences. Brown posts the picture of the letter from Mayock on Instagram. Earlier in the day, Brown settled his helmet dilemma, and even declared on Instagram that the ‘helmet drama’ was over
September 5, 2019 – Brown confronts Mayock and reportedly calls him a ‘cracker’ before punting a football in anger. Afterwards reports of an imminent suspension surfaced
September 6, 2019 – Brown makes an emotional apology to teammates; coach Jon Gruden announces he will play against the Denver Broncos in the opener
September 7, 2019 – After learning that the Raiders voided $30 million in guarantees in his contract, Brown demands his release on social media. Mayock complies, and by the end of the day, Brown signs a new one-year deal with the New England Patriots for $15 million
September 10, 2019 – It is revealed that Brown is being accused of rape and sexual assault by Taylor
September 11, 2019 – Brown suits up for his first Patriots practice
Taylor does not indicate in her lawsuit whether or not she called the police. She claims to have contacted #Time’sUpNow in January 2019 but that she didn’t name her attacker in her description of what happened.
She also claims in her lawsuit to have passed a lie detector test about it.
The test, her lawyers claim, was conducted ‘by one of the nation’s leading examiners, who previously led the FBI’s polygraph program’.
They do not name the polygraph expert or state who hired him to carry out the test.
‘The polygraph examination confirmed her completely truthful account that, in June 2017, Brown ejaculated on her without her consent and that, in May 2018, that Brown raped her,’ the lawsuit reads.
Brown’s lawyer Darren Heitner tweeted a statement out on behalf of Brown on Tuesday evening, saying that his client ‘denies each and every allegation in the lawsuit’.
Before she knew it or understood what was happening, Brown ejaculated on her. Ms Taylor felt a wet spot on her back then suddenly realized what happened
In a later message, he added his client ‘will leave no stone unturned and will aggressively defend himself, including exercising all of his rights in countersuits’.
Heitner said Brown was approached by his accuser in 2017, shortly after he signed a new contract to make him the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL.
‘At that time, Mr. Brown was asked to invest $1.6million dollars in the accusers business project,’ the lawyers statement claimed.
‘Mr. Brown was not informed by his accuser that she had just been levied with a $30,000 IRS tax lien or that $300,000 of the $1.6million so-called “investment” was to be used to purchase a property already owned by the accuser and her mother.’
Heitner says Brown refused to invest in the scheme and the accuser then cut all communications with him.
However, she then resurfaced in 2018 and offered to travel to Pennsylvania to South Florida to train Brown for the up-coming season.
‘Thereafter, the accuser engaged Mr. Brown in a consensual personal relationship. Any sexual interaction with Mr. Brown was entirely consensual,’ the lawyer retorted.
The pair are shown in this undated, blurry image training together in a foam pit. Brown denies the allegation
Heitner goes on the claim that, even after Taylor’s purported May 2018 rape claim, she continued to travel to Brown’s residences on multiple occasions in Florida and Tennessee.
He says she continued communications with Brown throughout 2018, and says she even asked him for tickets to a Pittsburgh Steelers football game in the winter the same year.
‘Mr. Brown’s accuser has continually posted photographs of Mr. Brown on her social media in an effort to financially benefit from his celebrity,’ Heitner blasted, adding that Brown ‘refuses to be the victim of what he believes to be a money grab.’
Of the May 2018 incident, Heitner says Taylor invited herself to spend a night out with Brown as his friends, as they spent the night frequenting adult entertainment bars in Miami.
‘Instead of leaving by herself, as she had arrived, and returning to her hotel, Mr. Brown’s accuser solicited Mr. Brown to join her and return to [his] residence where the two engaged in consensual sex.’
She is seeking compensation for ‘physical injuries, pain and suffering, humiliation, stress, anxiety, loss of self-esteem and self-confidence, and emotional pain and suffering’.
Taylor says she’s been left so traumatized as a result of the three alleged attacks she’s suffered ‘near-daily panic attacks, frequent suicidal ideations, and insomnia’.
‘She has also lost a remarkable amount of weight – 30 pounds in one month – due to stress.’
Taylor is seeking punitive damages, though a specific amount has not been outlined.