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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Wide receiver Antonio Brown has filed a defamation countersuit against his accuser, Britney Taylor.
According to documents obtained by ESPN, Brown denies the sexual assault and rape allegations against him and requests a jury trial for defamation and interference with his NFL endorsements.
In the original lawsuit filed by Taylor in Southern Florida U.S. District Court, she accuses Brown of sexual assault on three separate occasions in 2017 and 2018. Taylor then refiled in Broward County, serving Brown with a lawsuit on Nov. 1 and giving him 45 days to respond. The accusations are also the subject of an NFL investigation.
In Brown's responding countersuit, according to ESPN, Brown claims his relationship with Taylor was always consensual and that Taylor had him sign a confidentiality agreement on March 8 while "under duress." The documents go on to claim Taylor's "false accusations" affected his business deals, and that the confidentiality agreement prevents him from discussing "a number of relevant events" that he says are essential to the case. The countersuit states Taylor met with the NFL for 10 hours, but declined to wave the confidentiality agreement that would have allowed both parties to testify freely.
Because of that, Brown is adding civil conspiracy to his countersuit.
Brown says he and Taylor spent a significant amount of time together between 2017 and 2018, during which time she worked briefly as his trainer.
He also alleges Taylor tried to secure more than a million dollar investment from Brown after he signed his $72 million dollar deal with the Pittsburg Steelers. He was then traded from the Steelers to the Oakland Raiders in a $54 million extension.
"In summary, after enduring a failed business endeavor and also failing to gain the relationship status she desired with Brown, Taylor began a vicious campaign of lies and deceit targeting Brown both personally and professionally," the documents conclude. "Taylor's acts have all but ruined Brown's career, causing him to lose a number of substantial and lucrative business contracts, and impacting the public persona in such a manner as to cause Brown and his family significant personal and financial harm."
Brown is not currently with the league. He was released by the Raiders for detrimental conduct, and played just one game with the New England Patriots before also being released.
His brief stint with the Patriots came at the same time Taylor claimed Brown had sent her threatening text messages, after she gave an interview to Sports Illustrated.
Brown aspires to return, and has apologized to Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who Brown publicly criticized after his release.
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