Antonio Brown has avoided immediate punishment from the NFL in the wake of sexual assault allegations made against him in a civil lawsuit, and now, all signs point to the polarizing wide receiver making his New England Patriots debut on Sunday.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Michael Giardi, Brown is traveling with the team to Miami for Sunday's Week 2 game against the Dolphins, and he's expected to play for the first time this season.
Signed to a one-year deal worth a reported $10.5 million hours after his apparently orchestrated release from the Oakland Raiders, the former Pittsburgh Steelers star was speculated as a potential target for the commissioner's exempt list after one of his former trainers filed the civil lawsuit. That list, which has been used for other players under investigation in recent years, would have effectively suspended Brown until a definitive decision on discipline was made. Entering this weekend, then, it was up to the Patriots whether or not to activate the seven-time Pro Bowler.
New England could still choose not to dress Brown for Sunday's matchup, in which they are nearly three-touchdown favorites. As Rapoport noted earlier in the week, however, the Patriots have been preparing as if Brown will be part of the game plan. The outspoken wideout was seen at practice in the lead-up to Week 2's game, and he also shared on social media videos of him training at Tom Brady's TB12 facility in the area.
Brown hasn't played a game since Dec. 23, 2018, his last as a member of the Steelers. He infamously missed Pittsburgh's final game of the season before being traded to the Raiders in March, then was ineligible to suit up for this year's opener since his contract with New England could not be finalized until the day after the Patriots' Sunday night clash with none other than the Steelers.
