Bill Belichick Storms Out of Press Conference Over Antonio Brown Questions
Patriots coach Bill Belichick walked out of his press conference on Friday morning after getting fed up with questions over wide receiver Antonio Brown.
During his opening remarks, Belichick mentioned that he wouldn't comment on any "off the field situations" relating to Brown.
"I know there are questions about Antonio [Brown]. We take all the situations with our team very seriously. There are some things we're looking into," he said.
Brown is facing two separate allegations of sexual misconduct, which surfaced over the last two weeks.
As first reported by The New York Times, Brown allegedly sexually assaulted and raped his former trainer Britney Taylor over several instances in 2017 and 2018. Taylor filed a federal lawsuit over the incidents. She reportedly met with the NFL about the accusations on Monday in a 10-hour meeting, and the Allegheny County District Attorney's office and the police department have reached out to Taylor's lawyer over the allegations.
As reported by The MMQB's Robert Klemko, Brown faces a second allegation of sexual misconduct from an artist who he hired to paint a mural for him in his Pittsburgh-area home. Brown's attorney, Darren Heitner, issued statements in response to the accusations by both women, denying the allegations against his client. Through Heitner, Brown claimed he and Taylor were engaged in a "consensual personal relationship" and that any sexual interaction was "entirely consensual."
When asked about Brown, Belichick kept his answers short as usual, including when he was asked if the wide receiver would be available to play on Sunday.
"He's on our roster," Belichick said.
Belichick fielded several other questions, including one which referenced a recent story from Klemko where one of Brown's accusers says he sent her "intimidating text messages" after her initial SI story detailing her allegations against him.
Belichick eventually walked away from the podium and left the press conference after saying he was done talking about Brown.
"I think I've already addressed this so we're going to get ready for the Jets here. [I'm] happy to answer any football questions, but I'm done with the rest of it."
