Meeting with the media on Wednesday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Antonio Brown, who was suspended for the first eight games of the NFL season for multiple violations of the league’s personal-conduct policy, discussed the challenges he has faced to get back onto the football field.
“Scrutiny, adversity, you name it, I’ve been through it,” Brown said. “But it didn’t stop me. It didn’t make me want to give up. I’ve been through some things, but that’s life. We all have a story. We all have to allow ourselves to grow for the betterment of ourselves. I’m just grateful for the journey.”
That journey may get a little rockier as the woman who is suing Brown for allegedly raping her in May 2018, Britney Taylor, wants to subpoena the 32-year-old’s former teams, including the Buccaneers, for documents related to the wide receiver.
Also seeking documents from the Patriots, Raiders and Steelers, Taylor and her lawyers filed paperwork in a Florida state court on Wednesday seeking subpoenas to serve the Buccaneers Football Corporation and Buccaneers Team, LLC, according to The Athletic.
The subpoenas ask for, “Full and complete copies of any and all correspondence, memoranda, communications, agreements, messages or other written documentation concerning your business relationship with Antonio Brown.”
In order for the subpoenas (which are worded identically for the other three teams) to be sent, Taylor needs a judge to sign off. “AB can still object and the judge will decide,” one of Taylor’s attorneys told The Athletic.
In addition to the four teams, Taylor wants to subpoena the NFL for documents “concerning your investigation of Antonio Brown.” Whether Taylor is awarded the documents or not, her lawsuit is scheduled for a five-day trial beginning December 6.
Brown, who has consistently denied Taylor’s accusations and painted himself as a victim at times, did not play in the NFC Championship game due to a knee injury, and there was some doubt he would be able to suit up for the Super Bowl. But he has returned to the practice field and will likely be able to play on Sunday.
Whether the Buccaneers, who have two women on their coaching staff and have been praised for being a progressive organization under the leadership of head coach Bruce Arians, should let him take the field is another matter entirely.
“I want my legacy to be a guy that was persistent, a guy that never gave up, no matter the odds, no matter the hate,” Brown said Wednesday. “A sixth-round kid from Central Michigan that never gave up. A guy who had the will of a champion.”
Whether Brown ends up becoming a champion or not, his legacy may be far different than what he is hoping for depending on what happens with Taylor and her lawsuit.
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