Antonio Brown declared available, but may not play for Patriots against Dolphins in Week 2
Controversial New England Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown WILL be available to suit up and make his debut on Sunday when the Pats travel south to play the struggling Miami Dolphins, according to reports.
Brown’s controversial summer continued this week when he was named as the subject of a civil lawsuit accusing the former Pittsburgh Steelers star of rape and sexual assault.
USA Today reported that the lawsuit gave the NFL a moment’s pause as they considered Brown to be placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, which would have made him unavailable to play until his removal from the list.
But NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has opted not to place Brown on the list, meaning the receiver is available to Bill Belichick’s offense this weekend in Florida.
However, it is not clear whether Brown will actually feature, with multiple reports Stateside indicating that the Patriots were not aware of the lawsuit prior to signing him to a one-year, $15 million deal following his release after a turbulent off-season stint with the Oakland Raiders.
Brown previously left the Steelers after a string of internal issues and had a disastrous spell at Oakland, where a cryotherapy mishap left him with severely blistered feet, then a refusal to change his helmet to fulfill NFL safety regulations led to him to threaten not to play at all.
A training-field bust-up with Raiders GM Mike Mayock proved to be the last straw in Oakland, as Brown was fined for conduct detrimental to the team, voiding nearly $30 million of contractually guaranteed money. Brown then demanded his release, which the Raiders granted, and the Super Bowl champion Patriots swooped within hours to add him to their lineup.
Now it remains to be seen whether the Patriots can move past Brown’s latest issues and get him onto the field. There is likely to be little rush from the Patriots side – the team thrashed Brown’s old Steelers side 33-3 in Week 1 and face a Dolphins team who were hammered 59-10 by the Baltimore Ravels last weekend.
Antonio Brown declared available, but may not play for Patriots against Dolphins in Week 2
Source: RT