Report: Patriots Will Not Re-Sign Antonio Brown

After his short stint with the Patriots this fall, the team will not re-sign wide receiver Antonio Brown, according to The Athletic.

On Thursday, rumors circulated that New England might be interested in bringing back Brown, but The Athletic reports otherwise.

The Patriots signed Brown on Sept. 7 after he was released by the Raiders. Shortly after his signing, his former trainer, Britney Taylor, filed a lawsuit accusing him of rape and sexual assault. Brown denied the allegations in the suit through his a statement from his attorney.

A source told The Athletic that New England would have never signed Brown if the team was aware of the lawsuit.

After he played in Week 2 against Miami, the Patriots cut Brown on Sept. 20 after the NFL announced it would investigate allegations against him of harassment and intimidation. Sports Illustrated reported that Brown sent text messages to an artist who accused him of misconduct at his home in 2017. Those messages came just days after SI reported additional accusations against Brown ranging from a previously untold account of sexual misconduct, a charity auction theft, multiple domestic incidents, and a long list of unpaid debts.

Last week, Brown met with the NFL for about eight hours to address the sexual assault allegations against him. He also issued an apology to Patriots owner Robert Kraft on social media this week to say he was sorry for the "bad media" and "drama."